To become a Muggle
by lifebitten
Summary: After the events of GoF Harry decides to give up on magic.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything related to Harry Potter, she does and yes I'm jealous.

A/N: I have a couple of directions that I'm thinking about taking this, so we'll just have to see how it goes. Dumbledore will not be evil, old and senile possibly but not evil. Ron will be his normal self, a stupid jealous moron, right in line with cannon. Tonks will not be as clumsy as cannon. The rest depends on how the story goes. Thank you for reading.

Chapter 1

Harry Potter lay on his bed in the smallest bedroom of Number 4 Privet Drive in Little Whinging wondering how much worse his life could get. In the month that he had been back he had only received one letter from his friends, and it only told him that they were together and weren't going to tell him anything.

Harry had watched as Cedric Diggory was murdered right in front of him the night that Voldemort regained his body. All because Harry had to be a noble idiot and insist that they take the Tri-Wizard Cup together. He started off doing what he normally did and kept all of his emotions buried. This trait had been beaten into him at an early age by his relatives. Never show emotions and never ask questions, never do anything that might draw attention.

A couple of sleepless nights into the holidays and Harry decided that this was not going to work this time. He needed to talk to someone about what had happened and about the fact that his scar was constantly aching since that night. Hermione would be glad that he was finally taking some of her advice on how to deal with things, or so he thought.

The first two weeks of holidays he had written several letters to her, Ron, Sirius, and even Professor Lupin, and had received only the one letter from Hermione in return. He had sent a last letter to each of them saying simply "_I need to talk to someone. I need help."_ That had been two weeks ago.

The nightmares had him waking up screaming most nights. This had the unfortunate side effect of waking his uncle. The beatings weren't that bad in the beginning and were kept to areas that couldn't be seen. Until last night, that is.

Harry had been at the park down the street, his cousin Dudley was, as usual, trying to start trouble with him, when two dementors attacked them. Things seemed to happen quickly after that. He drove the dementors away with his patronus, found out that Mrs. Figg was a squib, and that Dumbledore was having him watched. When he got Dudley home several owls came through the house a few minutes apart from each other. One saying that he was expelled from Hogwarts and that his wand was going to be snapped, another saying that Dumbledore was taking care of everything, not to give up his wand to anyone and not to leave the house or do any more magic. The last one, surprisingly, was to his Aunt Petunia saying _"Remember my last"_, whatever that meant. This was the final straw for his Uncle Vernon.

He was now lying listening to movement in the hall outside his bedroom. He knew that it wasn't his relatives they had left for the evening making sure that he was securely locked in on the way out. He knew it could be Death Eaters, but couldn't move very fast and frankly couldn't bring himself to really care. The only thing that really got any reaction out of him was when he heard someone cursing and then the sound of the locks on his door all opening at once. His only thought was "_Wonderful, some more magic for the Ministry to blame on me"_ as the door opened.

"Harry?" They could barely make out the shape of a body on the bed in the dark room.

"Hello Professor Lupin." Harry's voice was quiet and emotionless. "What are you doing here?"

"We're here to take you someplace safe, Harry."

Harry snorted and immediately regretted the action. "Safe? My opinion of the magical world's idea of safe is pretty low right now."

"We don't have time for this boy" Came a gruff reply.

"Ah, Hello Professor Moody, how are you these days? Also, are you, well, you these days?"

"Come on Potter, we need to get moving before those relatives of yours return."

"I agree you really do need to go before they get back, they won't be happy if they see you in their house." Harry's voice was still flat and quiet.

"Harry you need to come with us, it will be safer where were taking you."

"Professor, I've been told that there's no place safer than Hogwarts by just about everyone, yet four out of four years I've come close to being killed. Then Dumbledore tells me that this place is really the safest place for me, and we all know how that is turning out, don't we? Not my idea of safe."

"Those dementors attacked a few blocks away Harry, the wards would only cover the house."

"So Professor Lupin, I would have been safe if I'd stayed inside?"

"Yes"

Harry started to slowly sit up on the bed groaning softly.

"Would one of you like to turn on the light?"

The light coming on was immediately followed by a gasp. Harry's face was beaten to the point that it was almost unrecognizable, his eyes were swollen shut and his right arm had a couple of strange angles to it on the forearm.

"Bloody hell Harry, I've never heard of a dementor doing that to someone before." Said an unfamiliar female voice.

"Dementors? This is from my uncle. Seem to remember it happening in this room. I really don't want to know what your next idea of safe is going to be, so if you would just lock the door on your way out." With that he slowly lowered himself back onto the bed.

"Harry, we need to get you to a healer, if your uncle did this we need to get you away from here." Remus was almost growling.

"I said I'm not going."

"Harry we need to get you away from here quickly. Your friends are there waiting for you."

"What friends would those be? The ones who answer my letters? Oh, I don't have any of those do I? Tell me Professor, what did the last letter I sent you say?"

Remus Lupin just looked at the floor for several seconds before answering in a quiet voice. "It said that you needed help."

"What did your return letter say?"

"I'm sorry Harry, Dumbledore told us not to write to you."

"How about Sirius, Hermione, and Ron?"

"We were told it would be dangerous to put anything in a letter Harry. You need to understand that with Voldemort back things are dangerous. We can't risk any information getting out."

"How many other students have the Headmaster screening their mail? Am I the only one or do all students get this wonderful service?"

"We don't have time for this Lupin, Grab Potter and let's go."

"Professor Moody, what would the sentence be for kidnapping?"

"Ten years in Azkaban"

"So after I go to the hearing and report it, you'll all be facing ten years?"

"We don't have time for this, Tonks get his wand and other things packed and Lupin and I will take him."

A shriek came from Tonks as she started gathering thing off Harry's desk. Next to the cage was a lifeless Hedwig and a wand snapped in half.

"Harry what did you do to Hedwig and your wand?" Lupin's voice sounded angrier than he had ever heard it.

"You think I did that?" Harry's voice showed emotion for the first time. "You think I killed the only real friend I've ever had? Get out Lupin, all of you GET OUT."

Moody grabbed his arm and pulled him up, ignoring the hiss of pain, he let go when Harry was on his feet only to have him drop straight to the floor with a cry, his good arm clutching at his ribs.

Once Harry found his voice it was cold. "Get out. Put everything back the way you found it and get out."

Remus grabbed Moody and pulled him back towards the door, putting himself between them. "Harry we can help you, we'll get you out of here and bring Madam Pomfrey to heal you. You need our help, please come with us."

Harry was still lying on the floor silent for a long moment. "Tonks was it?"

"Yeah"

"I need someone to take me to the ministry for my hearing on the 15th. Would you be willing to?"

"We have it arranged for you to go in to work with Arthur Weasley, you'll leave from where were taking you."

He just ignored Remus. "I just need you to meet me at the park down the street at seven in the morning to summon the Knight Bus for me. Without my wand I won't be able to. Would you do this for me?"

"Yeah Harry, I'll do it for you. Are you sure you're going to be ok here?" He could hear the catch in her voice but didn't get the chance to answer.

"He's not staying, Dumbledore wants him at headquarters so that's were he's going."

"How Mad Eye? He has to be able to see the paper to get in. He can't see anything until he's healed. You know Dumbledore won't come tell him the secret directly, so how are we going to get him in? I don't think our plan of brooms for getting there is going to work either, look at him, he can't ride like that." Tonks' voice rose to a shout by the end. Taking a breath to calm herself she continued. "Plus I need my job and just being accused of kidnapping will get me fired. I don't think Harry's the type to make empty threats. Unless you plan to keep him from the hearing and make him a fugitive, we can't make him go with us. We don't need to give Fudge any more ammunition against him or Dumbledore."

"She's right; I'll stay and take care of the Dursley's"

"No you won't Lupin" Harry growled. "You'll leave me be."

"Harry they can't be allowed to get away with this."

"Why do you care? I asked for help and you ignore me, now you're trying to force me to believe you care? This has been my life since Dumbledore put me here, and no one cared. So why now?"

"We didn't know Harry; if we had we would have gotten you out sooner."

"Mrs. Figg has treated my injuries every time that she babysat me. Didn't she tell Dumbledore anything?" He paused a moment waiting for a response, when none came he continued. "You can leave now. Tonks, you don't have to come to the park if you don't want to, I'll figure out another way to get there."

"7am sharp Harry, I'll be there. Do you need help getting back in bed, I could levitate you?"

A small smile came to his face for the first time. "I'll manage, but thanks."

"Sure, see you on the 15th. Let's go guys."

"I'm not leaving without taking care of the Dursley's. They can't get away with this."

"Are you going to kill them or just put them in the hospital?" Harry's voice let them know he was definitely pissed. "Because if you don't do either of those then you're just going to make things worse for me. My vote is for killing them, but no one ever really seems to care what I think. Go ahead and do what you want, you will anyway."

"They'll stop after we talk to them."

"You know Lupin; I used to think you were smart. Now I know why no one listens to what I think, I'm apparently wrong most of the time. You don't know Uncle Vernon; if you threaten him he'll blame me." Harry thought about it for a moment. "Then again if you make him mad enough maybe he'll have a stroke, either that or he'll kill me this time. Some of my problems will be over either way, so like I said, you do what you want, I really don't care anymore."

Tonks just couldn't take this anymore. She kneeled down next to Harry and spoke quietly. "Harry, you better not be wishing for death on me, we have a date after all, and I'm not someone who takes being dead as a good reason for standing me up." His small smile reappeared. "Play your cards right Mr. Potter and you may just get a kiss at the end of it. Not something you'll want to miss. I'll get these guys out of here, you just be careful and be on time, ok?"

"Yes Ma'am I'll be there. Thanks."

"No problem, sweetie, I'll see you."

Harry could hear them leave the room and the door shut, then the click of the locks. Struggling, he slowly got himself back onto his bed and tried to go to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: She still owns it, not me.

Chapter 2

Nymphadora Tonks was deep in thought as she entered Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Her normally bubblegum pink hair was dark brown and laying flat. She had an image of Harry Potter in her mind when the night started, and that image was nothing like what she had seen on Privet Drive.

She had seen him around Hogwarts a few times during her seventh year. He looked small and skinny, but he was a first year and they all seemed small to her at the time. He was the Boy-Who-Lived, prince of the wizarding world, so she didn't think his size was from anything bad, after all what could cause harm to the boy who had defeated He Who Must Not Be Named. Seeing the way he played quidditch just kind of reinforced her image of a boy who could do anything.

The teen that was in that house was not this boy. Beaten to the point of barely being able to move, angry because his plea for help had been ignored by everyone he was close to. She had wanted to help him, if he had let her levitate him into his bed she would have offered more, but with that refusal she could tell he would refuse all other offers. Aurors were trained to read people, and her read on Harry was of someone who would need to be given time to slowly accept others. The fact that everyone had ignored him this summer would look like a betrayal to him, no matter what the reason was for it.

It had surprised her that he had asked her to help him get to the ministry instead of Remus, but as she thought about it she realized that she was the only one of them that he didn't know. He obviously felt that he couldn't trust Remus or Mad Eye with helping him, her being a stranger he had no preconceived notions, if she betrayed him it wouldn't hurt as bad as Remus.

A Death Eater polyjuiced to look like Mad Eye had tried to kill him at the end of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Even though it wasn't the real Moody the image had to be hard to shake. Add to that him grabbing Harry the way he had, hurting him worse than he already was, and she could understand not trusting the old Auror.

She was brought out of her thoughts as they entered the kitchen where people were gathering for a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix. Sirius Black rose from his spot when he saw them come in.

"Where's Harry, did everything go alright?"

"He refused to come, Sirius; he was beaten pretty bad but didn't want anything to do with us." You could see the hurt in Remus' eyes as he said this.

"What, why. And what do you mean he was beaten, what happened?" He glared at everyone who had just entered.

Tonks answered for them. "His uncle beat him after the attack last night, he was locked in his room when we got there and could barely move. He's in bad shape but doesn't want any help from anyone he's been writing to. He asked for help and was ignored; now he isn't going to accept any from the people he wrote to. He threatened to report all of us for kidnapping when he went to his hearing if we forced him to come with us."

"You're the adults; you should have brought him anyway. I can't believe you just left that poor boy with those horrible muggles." Molly Weasley was yelling at the group that had been sent to get Harry. "He needs someone who is going to take care of him and obviously none of you can do that. I'll just have to go get him myself since none of you are responsible enough to do it."

"Please calm yourself Molly. We will have to go back and get him; he needs to be brought here for his own safety." Albus Dumbledore sat at the head of the table with his fingers steepled in front of his face. "He will forgive everyone once he is here and realizes that it is for the best that he was not contacted by anyone. I'm sure he's not that bad, his relatives would hardly harm him."

Mad Eye stomped forward on his fake leg thumping loudly. "You know me Albus; I don't exaggerate people's conditions. His eyes are swollen shut, his right arm is broken in at least two places and from the way he grabbed his chest when I pulled him out of bed I'd say he has at least one broken rib. His uncle also killed his owl and snapped his wand."

Sirius was heading towards the door before Moody had finished. Remus grabbed him. "Going over there right now would only make things worse Padfoot. If you hurt his uncle it will only cause more trouble for Harry at his hearing and probably get you caught in the process. We were only able to mask the use of magic for a short time, the ministry monitors will be working again, if they detect anymore magic there they'll send Aurors to arrest him. You know Fudge will use it to put him into Azkaban. We need another place to keep him until he's healed, unless Albus tells him the secret personally, he can't see the paper right now."

"Alas I'm afraid that I have to limit my contact with him at the moment for his own safety. I am distressed by the condition that you described though, if his uncle is hurting him that bad then we will need to move him quickly. The only other place that we have to take him at this time though is Hogwarts and that would get back to the Minister. I'm afraid we may have to honor his wish for the moment. Are you sure that it was his wand that was snapped?"

"Yes, I saw it often enough while I was teaching him during his third year to recognize it. It was defiantly his and Hedwig's neck looked to be broken."

"This will cause problems; he needed that wand to fight Voldemort"

Tonks suppressed the shiver that went through her at the mention of Voldemort's name. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. "What do you mean he needs it to fight him? Harry's not even 15 yet. I know he's faced him before but he doesn't have the training to take on the Death Eaters let alone You Know Who. From what I've heard he's lucky to have gotten out of that graveyard alive, why would he be expected to fight him again? I'm a fully trained Auror and I know I don't stand a chance. Harry may be powerful but without any real training sending him after You Know Who is insane. It'd be kinder just to kill him now and get it over with. At least we wouldn't Crucio him first."

"Nymphadora,"

"I Keep Asking You To Call Me Tonks."

"Miss Tonks, I can't tell you why but Harry is very important to this fight and he is a symbol for the light. He must be kept safe, but for now we'll have to just keep up the watch. He will forgive everyone once he sees them again." The old mans eyes twinkled as he said this.

Tonks just stared at him for a few moments, clearly not happy with his answer, and then she looked at her watch. "I have a shift in an hour, I need to go." Without another word or a glance at anyone else she left the house hearing both Molly and Sirius start yelling.

She didn't have to work that night but Harry needed help from someone, and the Order obviously wasn't going to offer any assistance right now.

She had joined the Aurors to help people and when she was asked to join the Order she was excited because she'd be able to help in a way that the ministry wouldn't allow. It seemed that all her images of the way things worked in the world were being crushed. The Minister refusing to believe Dumbledore and Harry, the Profit portraying them as nutcases, Harry's battered face, and now the way Dumbledore casually mentions that Harry needed his wand to fight the most powerful Dark Lord in modern history. She was beginning to feel like she was drowning in reality all of a sudden and needed advice badly.

She apparated to the ministry and went directly to the office of her boss Amelia Bones, the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. She always worked late on weekdays during the summer so that she could spend the weekends with her niece Susan. She had been Tonks' mentor during training, keeping her going when she wanted to quit because of the discrimination in the department against females. Any problem that Tonks had she could always count on Amelia to help her solve it.

She knocked on the open door; her boss was at her desk doing paperwork.

"Tonks, what can I do for you tonight?"

"Can I speak to you about something outside of work for a minute? I really need some advice."

Seeing the despair on Tonks' face Amelia immediately said yes and told her to close the door and take a seat.

"What can I help you with?"

"I met someone today who was beaten really bad and he refused all our offers of help. He needs to get out of his situation but anything I can think of results in kidnapping and more bad press for him. I want to help but don't know how."

"What do you mean more bad press, who is he?"

Tonks thought about it for a moment, she had never withheld anything from her boss before but with the way the ministry was treating him she wondered if it was a good idea to tell her. "I need you to promise that this doesn't leave this room. He's having enough trouble trusting anyone as it is, if this gets out he'll never trust anyone again."

The look in her Aurors eyes spoke to how desperate she was; it made it easy for Amelia to make up her mind. "I promise that nothing you say will leave here, but I need the full story if I'm going to be able to help you."

Tonks took a deep breath and kept her gaze on the floor. "Harry Potter." After a moment of silence she looked up at Madam Bones who was just staring at her. After another moment Amelia stood up and pulled Tonks with her.

"We need to go someplace else to talk about this, come on." Amelia led her to the ministry apparition point and without a word of warning side along apparated Tonks to an alley in muggle London. Walking her to the street and around the corner to a small café took a table and ordered some tea. "Ok, what's going on?"

Tonks took a deep breath. "First I need to tell you that I joined a group to fight You Know Who, I think he really is back Amelia."

"Dumbledore has approached me to join his Order, I know about them."

"Well we've been watching Harry this summer to keep him safe. We've done a really crappy job so far." With another deep breath she told her boss everything that had happened that night. By the time she finished the look on Madam Bones' face scared her. She had seen her mad before but never like this.

"What the hell is that old man thinking, there's a reason all Aurors have to undergo counseling if they're involved with a death. To leave a kid to deal with it on his own is just asinine. If he's as bad as you say we need to get him out now, and get him to a healer. Give me a minute I need to get a hold of someone." With that she got up and walked to a pay phone in the corner of the café. When she came back she put some muggle money on the table and said, "Come on." And walked out the door leaving Tonks to hurry to catch up. Once they were back in the alley Madam Bones spun on her.

"Can you apparate us to that park you mentioned?"

"Yeah."

"Good, let's go."

A couple of seconds later they were walking toward Privet Drive. "Do you know who's watching him tonight?"

"We left Emmeline Vance here when we left; she usually spends her time at Arabella Figg's house drinking tea." She snorted "Like I said we've done a really bad job of watching him. I think there's only three or four of us who actually stay near his place when were on duty."

"Dumbledore must be losing his touch. Just play along with this and we'll get him out."

After knocking on the door of number 4, they heard a loud voice inside.

Vernon opened the door. "What the bloody hell do you want?"

"Mr. Dursley, my name is Amelia Bones; I'm the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. We have reason to believe Harry Potter may be a flight risk and a danger to the public, we're here to take him into custody. If you could please take us to him we should be out of your hair fairly quickly."

A smile had come to Vernon Dursley's face as she said this. "Finally, justice for the freak, I've been saying he's a menace for years, he's this way." With that he led them up the stairs to the bedroom and started unlocking locks. Amelia was having trouble keeping the anger off her features.

"Thank you, we'll need a few minutes with him before we leave." With that she marched into the room with Tonks hot on her heals, and Vernon went back down stairs with his smile firmly in place.

"Wotcher Harry." Tonks said quietly as she went to the bed.

"So you're here to arrest me this time?"

"Nah, we just told your uncle that to make him happy, but if you're a good boy I'll let you see my fuzzy cuffs."

The chuckle that came from Harry was quickly followed by a groan.

"Ok, no more jokes till we get you healed. Madam Bones is with me, she's my boss, and is going to help us get you out of here." Seeing Harry start to protest she continued. "Dumbledore doesn't know anything about this just the three of us, ok?"

Harry nodded slowly.

"Harry I'm Madam Bones, I have a friend who's a healer that works in a muggle clinic, she's bringing her car so that we can leave with out magic. Is that alright?" with Harry's nod she continued. "Can you walk?"

"If we go slow I can make it."

"Tonks can you get all of his things together? Do you have anything that's not in the room?"

"No, but there's some things under the floorboard next to the bed." Harry replied as he sat up.

Once Tonks had everything in Harry's trunk she helped him stand putting his good arm around her neck to help support him and they slowly made their way down the stairs with Amelia following with his trunk.

"Wait at the door for our ride to show up, I'm going to have a word with these people." With that she pulled her wand and headed to the sitting room.

"Oh they're in trouble; let this be a good warning Harry, never piss that woman off. Even Mad Eye obeys that rule."

In the sitting room Vernon was in his chair with a wand pressed against his forehead, Petunia and Dudley had retreated to a corner. "If it wasn't for the fact that we need to leave here quietly tonight I would rip you apart. Tomorrow morning YOU ARE going to go on a vacation for a month, if I find you back here before a month is over I will drop you in the deepest hole I can find and forget you exist. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"

Vernon Dursley may be slow, but even he could see that this lady meant every word. He just nodded.

"Good. We are just waiting for our ride to show up and then we'll be gone. If you follow instructions you'll never have to see me again. If you make so much as a peep before we leave I'll make sure that you sit to piss for the rest of your life." Without waiting for a response she went back to the door. When she got there she found Harry sitting on the bottom step holding his ribs tightly and his face red, Tonks had her hands covering her mouth with tears flowing down her cheeks. "What's wrong with you two?"

Tonks couldn't keep it in any longer and bent over laughing, Harry leaned back against the wall saying "Ow, ow, ow," between laughs. Amelia just smiled and shook her head, taking up a position next to the door to watch for her friend's car.

Ten minutes later Tonks was gently loading Harry into the back seat while Madam Bones loaded his trunk in the boot. Once they were all inside introductions were made.

"Tonks, Harry, this is Rebecca. Rebecca, this is Tonks and Harry. Were headed to Tonks place, it's just a few blocks from the ministry."

After hellos were said they pulled away from Privet Drive.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Remus Lupin was looking even more tired than normal as he climbed the stairs of Grimmauld Place. It was decided that he would be the one to tell the children about Harry since he was the only one who had been there that knew them. Sirius wasn't taking the situation well at all; he had grabbed a bottle of Firewhiskey as soon as Dumbledore had called an end to the meeting. The whole meeting was spent trying to figure out were they could take Harry with it finally being decided that Kingsley Shacklebolt would take Madam Pomfrey to his house and would 'explain' things to the Dursley's while she healed him enough to get him here. Remus couldn't see Harry being happy about this but the Headmaster kept insisting that he would forgive everyone because he would be happy to see them. He didn't see this as very likely, a person's trust could only be stepped on so many times before even the most forgiving person would refuse to forgive, and Harry had to be getting close to that point.

Hermione opened the door after he knocked.

"Professor, where's Harry, you should have been back over and hour ago. Is he alright?"

"Please, call me Remus, I haven't been your teacher for while now. Have a seat I have to tell you a few things."

She took a seat on the unoccupied bed in the room, the other having Ron sitting on it. From the look on Ron's face they had been having another fight, most of house had grown tired of their fights and silenced the door to the room so they wouldn't have to listen to them.

"Harry refused to come with us, and even if he hadn't I don't know how we would have gotten him here."

Hermione's voice started taking on a shrill tone. "What do you mean he refused, why would he do that, he's written us a lot of letters so he obviously wants to talk to us, why wouldn't you have been able to get him here, is he alright?"

"Hermione, slow down, Harry probably just wants to play this up and make a grand entrance." She started to yell at Ron but was cut off by Remus.

"How many letters did you guys get from Harry this summer?"

"I got seven and I think Ron got six. Why"

"How many did you answer, and what did you say in them?" Hermione started to look sheepish while Ron's face started to get red.

"You mean he's mad because we didn't write to him. We've been stuck in this house while he gets to enjoy his holidays and he's bloody mad because we didn't bow down to him and write?"

"RONALD WEASLEY, YOU KNOW HE WOULD NEVER EXPECT ANYONE TO BOW"

"ENOUGH" Remus' shout had both of them snapping their heads around to look at him, his voice lowered to a growl "Harry had to watch a friend murdered at the end of last term, had his arm gashed open so his blood could be used to give Voldemort a new body, and then had a teacher try to kill him, AGAIN. Then he's force to go back to the Dursley's without any contact from any of his friends. Last night he saved his cousin from dementors and his thanks for that was his uncle snapping his wand, killing his owl and beating him half to death. What part of that sounds like he's having a good holiday, Ron? His last letter was two weeks ago and he asked all of us for help, Sirius and I included, and all of us ignored him. How would either of you react if your friends and family basically told you that not only were they not going to help you but that they didn't want to even talk to you? Would you be happy?" Remus heard a gasp from the doorway and saw Ginny and the twins standing there. "You guys should come in, close the door."

They made their way to the beds Ginny wrapping a crying Hermione in a hug looked at Remus. "They didn't really hurt him that bad, did they?"

"Yes they did, I haven't seen anyone that bad since the last war. Tomorrow Kingsley and Madam Pomfrey are going to go and get him."

"But why would they do that to him?" Ginny asked.

"Because they hate anything to do with magic, his Aunt Petunia hated Lily when we were growing up because she had magic. She even refused to go to Lily and James' wedding and didn't send Lily an invitation to her own wedding."

"We told everyone that they had bars on Harry's window when we went to get him, no one believed us." One of the twins said.

"The Headmaster told us that we shouldn't write to him, he said it that we needed to give him time to come to terms with what happened."

"I know Hermione, Sirius and I are just as much to blame for this as anyone else, more so because we should have known better. We all made a mistake and now we have to see what the consequences are. We're going to need to follow a few rules when he gets here. First Fred and George, no pranks on him, understand?"

"Harry has a lifetime pass on pranks from us."

"WHAT, why does he get that? I'm your brother and you still prank me."

"Because Harry did something for us"

"that we can't tell anyone about"

"but helped us a lot"

"we owe him huge"

"so he's off the test subject list forever."

Remus headed off Ron's building tirade. "Ron if you can't control your jealousy and quit starting fights with everyone I'm going to lock you in a room and give you the same amount of food Harry gets during summer." He glared at Ron who for once kept his mouth shut. "Good, now nobody is to pester Harry when he gets here, he's mad and with good reason. If he says to leave him alone, that's what you will do, if he wants to talk he will. Hermione, I know you want to help him, but we have to give him time. That doesn't mean ignore him, but don't try to force him to talk about everything ok?"

Hermione just nodded.

"All right, dinner should be ready in a few minutes, wash up and head to the kitchen."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: **I own it all, it's all mine and the money will appear in front of me at any moment………..any moment now…………….Aww come on. That should have worked.** I'll be over here sulking.

Chapter 3

They finally had Harry laid out on Tonks' bed with Rebecca Williams working on healing him. As Tonks and Madam Bones left the room they could hear her mutter curse words under her breath. Harry had passed out in the car and they had to use his invisibility cloak that Tonks had packed so that they could levitate him to her flat. After fixing some tea they sat in the living room.

"Ok Tonks, now that we've got him here you need to answer some questions. You mentioned a dementor attack happened last night. What do you know about it?"

"All I've been told about it is that two dementors attacked Harry and his cousin a couple of blocks from their home. His cousin was almost kissed but Harry drove them off with his patronus. He has a hearing on the 15th for underage magic and statute of secrecy violations."

"He can do the patronus charm?"

"Yeah, Remus Lupin taught him during his third year, when that idiot Fudge put all those creatures around Hogwarts. From what Remus says he would pass out any time they got near him. His patronus is supposed to be a stag."

"Damn that's impressive. Are you sure that it really was dementors that night?"

"Arabella Figg saw them; she's the one we got our information from."

"All right, we can use this; I'll have to look into how they got there, and I'll have to do it quietly. Can you tell me how many Aurors are in this Order? I need to know who can be trusted not to go to Dumbledore. We also need to know how many of them know where you live."

"I just got this place after I graduated from training, not even my mum knows where it is yet. The only other Aurors that I know about are Kingsley Shacklebolt and Hestia Jones. I don't want to get them in trouble."

"As long as they continue to do their jobs they can do what they want when they're off duty." Amelia's face took on a grim expression. "You mentioned the name Sirius earlier; would this be your cousin Sirius Black?"

"Shite" Tonks started stammering and squirming in her seat.

"Shacklebolt's in charge of the Black investigation, if he hasn't brought him in there's probably a good reason, so spill it."

Tonks proceeded to tell her about Pettigrew's betrayal and the fact that he was still alive and had been in the graveyard with Harry and You Know Who that night and that it was Pettigrew who had killed Cedric Diggory.

Letting out a breath Amelia put her head in her hands. "I really need to talk to Harry about all of this. Ok, what we need to do is get you off duty for a week without arousing suspicion with either Dumbledore or Fudge." Amelia sat thinking for a few minutes until a smile rose to her eyes. "Auror Tonks, it is not a good idea to curse at your boss, you will take one weeks paid leave to give you time to think about your actions. This will not go in your permanent record unless it happens again. I suggest that you use your time off wisely and return to work with a proper attitude."

Tonks smile almost split her face and for the first time since she had met Harry her hair was back to her preferred bubble gum pink. "Yes Ma'am, and I apologize for my language and attitude, I promise that it will not happen again."

"Too right it won't, next time we'll have to come up with new excuse."

Their laughter was interrupted when Rebecca walked in carrying a file folder. Tonks jumped up.

"How is he, is he going to be alright?"

"Relax; he's going to be fine. I was able to fix all of the physical damage except the malnutrition, he'll need some healthy meals for a while to fix that, mostly fruits and vegetables, take it easy on the fried foods." She looked at Amelia and held up the file folder. "I'm going to need to report this unless you want to take care of it?"

"I'll be talking to Harry about how he wants to handle it. I've sent them on vacation for a month, I can't have them talking to certain people for a while, hopefully things will have settled down for him by then and we can go ahead and hang them. But if Harry says to let it go we will, including you, he's been through enough without forcing him to face them in a court with the press reporting everything."

"Ams, he had a major concussion, his arm was broken in two places, a hairline crack in his collar bone, and three broken ribs, one of which was dangerously close to puncturing his lung. Add that to the fact that he's got enough old fractures and scars to last him through two wars and we have an open and shut case. I'm supposed to report all abuse cases to the authorities; they keep the names of minors out of the press and don't require them to appear in court. His uncle needs to go to prison for this."

"No, like I said it has to be up to him."

"Ok, but I'm going to do my best to convince him." Rebecca waited for her nod then continued. "Now let's talk about what you people have been doing to him in the magical world. He has Basilisk venom and Phoenix tears in his blood, a scar that definitely came from a magical creature of some kind on his shoulder, a scar on his arm that I can only assume came from said basilisk, the bones in one of his arms have been vanished and regrown, and I don't even know where to start with the scar on his forehead. There's some dark magic in there that I've never seen before. It needs to be taken care of as soon as possible because it looks like it links his mind and magic to something, and if I had to guess from how dark the curse is, I'd say that none of us wants that connection least of all him. You may need to bring a curse-breaker in to take care of it."

Tonks and Amelia were both looking at her like she had grown another head. Amelia turned to Tonks.

"Can you tell us about any of this?"

"The scar on his shoulder is probably from the Horntail he had to face in the first task, the profit wrote about it. The only other one I know about is the scar on his head, but no more than anyone else. I may know a curse-breaker we can use. We'll have to have him swear an oath but he's supposed to be one of Gringotts' best."

"I _really _need to talk to him about all of this. How long until he wakes up?"

"He'll probably sleep until late tomorrow morning. His body was using his magic to try to heal him and keep him alive, it will take time for it to build back up. I'll be back tomorrow night after I finish my shift at the clinic to check on him. No excitement and he shouldn't get out of bed except when absolutely necessary. Give him mostly broth for meals tomorrow and we'll see how things look when I check him."

Tonks smiled. "Oh good, I can cook broth. Not well but I can cook it. I even have two cans of it from the muggle market down the street."

"Ok…with that I think I'll leave you ladies for the night. It was nice to meet you Tonks."

Madam Bones got up with her. "I'll walk you out Becca; I need to be getting back to Susan before she starts to panic. Tonks let me know what the reaction is with that club you belong to and see if you can get a hold of that curse-breaker and sound him out."

"All right, and thanks a lot, both of you."

Tonks checked on Harry while grabbing some sheets and then made up her couch and went to sleep for the night.

It wasn't even an hour later when she was awoken by a scream. Jumping up she ran into the bedroom to find Harry tangled in the blankets and thrashing around. She grabbed his shoulders to try to wake him. The moment she touched him, he shot up and scooted back to the headboard with wide eyes full of fear.

"It's ok Harry, your safe it was only a nightmare. You can calm down now."

"Where's Uncle Vernon?" his voice was full of panic

"He's gone Harry; you're at my place now. You're safe"

Harry started to slowly relax as he looked around. "What happened, how did I get here. Who are you?"

"Oh, now that's just mean, I finally get a guy in my bed and not only doesn't he remember how he got there but he can't even remember my name. I'm seriously reconsidering that kiss I promised you."

"Tonks?"

"That's more like it; having my kisses be so good that you can remember them before you even get one is a good ego boost." Tonks hair turned bright green as she smiled. "Do you remember anything else?"

"Yeah, you and your boss came and got me, why did you bring me here?"

"One reason is that nobody from the Dumbledore's group knows I live here, the other reason is that I don't go on that many dates, I'm not about to let you get away with out at least dinner, especially since you've already been in my bed. It's only proper after all." Tonks laughed as a Harry blushed. "Rebecca healed you while you were out; she said that you should have been asleep for a lot longer though. Want to talk about that nightmare?"

Harry looked at his feet for a few moments before nodding. "It's two nightmares. The first one started during third year when the dementors kept attacking me. It's of the night that my parents died, I can remember him killing my mum, I can hear her pleading with him to kill her and not me." Harry turned his head and quickly wiped his eyes until Tonks stopped him and wrapped him in a hug, tears flowing down her own cheeks.

"It's all right to cry Harry; they deserve to have someone cry for them." With those words Harry let go and cried for what seemed like hours to him. When he started to collect himself again she asked. "Feel a little better now?"

"Yeah, thanks."

"No problem, want to talk about that other nightmare?"

He took a deep breath. "It's of that night in the grave yard. I keep seeing everything again. Cedric blames me for getting him killed. If I hadn't convinced him to take the Cup together he would still be alive. It's my fault he's dead."

"Harry, did you know that the cup was a port-key?"

"No, but"

"There's no but to it Harry, under the circumstances with the information you had, you did what you thought was right. If you had more information you would have acted in another way and things would have been different. But you didn't, and they're not. I'm an Auror Harry; one of the things they try to teach us is that second guessing is good only to learn from. Look at the events again see if there was another way you could have acted with the same information, learn from it. If you start looking at it with the information that you have after the fact then you can't learn anything because you change the whole scenario. That will just have you eating yourself up with guilt. Do you understand?"

Harry thought about it for a few moments. "I don't remember anything that could have let us know what was going to happen. Do you have a pensieve?"

"No but I can ask Madam Bones if we can use one from work. We use them a lot to review training exercises and missions. Plus I think she's going to want to see some of your memories." Feeling him tense she quickly pulled him tighter into the hug and reassured him. "It's all right, she's on your side, but Fudge and Dumbledore are hamstringing her investigations and Fudge is out to get you for some reason. She needs something to work with and you seem to have been at the center of it all. She will help you regardless, but you should think about this, it could help a lot of people survive."

"Ok, I'll think about it."

"Good. Now about some of your injuries, Rebecca gave us a pretty good run down. There's one that really concerned her though. She recommended that we bring in a curse-breaker because your scar is linked to something."

"Voldemort"

A shiver ran through Tonks. "What?"

"It's linked to him. It shoots a sharp pain through my head whenever he's close. Now that he's back there's always a little pain."

"Bloody hell." The two of them sat there for a minute before she continued. "I have a curse-breaker in mind. I'm going to get him to take a wizards oath before I bring him here though. Is that all right?" Harry nodded. Tonks voice became soft and she started running her fingers through his hair. "We'll get this thing out of you as fast as we can, I promise. You got too many people with their hooks in you Harry, but we'll get them all out, we'll get you free. I promise we'll get you free." The two of them slowly drifted off to sleep.

XXXXXXX

Tonks was jolted awake when a glowing lynx popped into her room. "Emergency Order meeting in an hour." Then it faded away.

"A patronus can talk?"

Tonks moaned and started rubbing her neck. "Yeah it's a messenger spell. Next time we sleep together lets lay down first, my neck is killing me."

"Sorry" Harry said quietly.

Tonks started laughing. "It's ok, but now you really owe me dinner, maybe even some dancing. I think the Order found out you're gone. I have to go so I get the shower first."

When she left the room, Harry's stomach started growling so he went in search of the kitchen. By the time Tonks came out of the bath the table was set with pancakes and eggs.

"What's all this?"

"Well you didn't have much in the cupboards; this is what I could come up with."

"You can cook?" Harry nodded. "Well the healer said that you should only have broth today, but I can't eat all this myself, so if you won't tell I won't." With a smile Harry sat down and started eating.

"Cor Harry, you really can cook. I definitely want that dinner now." It amazed Harry that someone could eat as fast as Ron but still be able to keep all the food in their mouth and still have manners. Before he knew it she was getting up from the table. "I gotta go, I should be back pretty quick, the way Madam Bones has things set up I'll probably be kicked out of the Order or quit so no worries."

"What's the Order?"

"The Order of the Phoenix, it's Dumbledore's group. I'll explain the whole thing when I get back, ok?" Harry nodded then watched as her hair changed to dark brown and flatten out just before she apparated away.

She appeared in the park across from Grimmauld Place and schooled her face into an angry scowl before crossing the street. Once inside she spotted Bill Weasley in the sitting room and made her way to him.

"Bill, can I talk to you for a moment?" when he nodded she continued. "I have a friend who needs a curse-breaker for something. It's not anything illegal but she needs it done quietly, I told her I'd ask you to see if you could help. Do you think you could take a look at it?"

"Sure, when would she need it done?"

"As soon as possible, apparently this curse is affecting someone she cares about so she wants it dealt with fast. Could we meet sometime today to talk about it?"

"Yeah, I have a meeting at Gringotts but I should be done by noon, how about we meet up at the Broomsticks and have lunch while we talk. Are you doing ok, you don't seem to be yourself today?"

"I cursed out Madam Bones last night."

"You what? Are you crazy, not even Death Eaters are willing to take that chance. What happened?"

"Have you heard about what happened when we went to get Harry yesterday?"

"Mum and the kids haven't stopped talking about it, was he really as bad as they say?"

"Probably worse, and then Dumbledore starts with how it's all for the best and he'll be happy once we force him to come here. I wasn't in a real good mood when I left, hell I'm still not in a good mood about it. She suspended me for a week, and if things aren't any different here this morning it's going to be a short meeting for me."

"Harry can't seem to catch any breaks. From the little time I spent with him this last year he struck me as a tough kid, but even the toughest person has a breaking point. I owe him, hell my whole family does, he saved Ginny's life her first year. Apparently he almost died while doing it."

Before Tonks could ask about it they were interrupted by Molly announcing that the meeting was about to start so they made their way to the kitchen. She looked around at everyone who was there and noticed that both Sirius and Remus were missing. Once everyone was seated Dumbledore stood, the normal twinkle in his eye was noticeably missing.

"We have a problem. Miss Jones would you start, tell us what you saw this morning."

A black haired witch in her mid 30's stood. "The Dursley's packed up their car this morning like they were heading on a long trip, they seemed to be in a hurry. Harry didn't leave with them and I didn't see them pack any of his things." She sat back down.

"Thank you, Kingsley."

The tall ebony Auror stood. "When Madam Pomfrey and I went in Harry and all of his things were gone."

The people around the table erupted, everyone getting louder to be heard until a loud bang silenced them. Dumbledore stood, his voice remained calm. "Everyone please take your seats. Kingsley, did you find anything that would tell you what might have happened?"

"No, there was no sign of him ever having been there, all of his things were gone. The only magic residue was from what we did when we were there yesterday. If I didn't know that he lived there I would have said that we had the wrong house."

"Emmeline, did you see anything out of the ordinary last night?"

"No, as far as I could see everything was quiet."

"Were you even watching or were you having tea?" Molly Weasley's face was red as she started shouting. "I swear none of you know how to take care of a child, how all of you can be so irresponsible, you're supposed to be keeping poor Harry safe and you can't even do that."

"Molly, please we must remain calm,"

Tonks stood up "Calm my arse, she's right. If we can't even protect one person what the hell is going to happen when we have to face Death Eaters? I joined the Order hoping to make a difference. Well the only thing I've seen us accomplish is alienating, and then losing Harry. What are we going to do about this?"

"Nymphadora,"

"I TOLD YOU TO CALL ME TONKS. HOW HARD IS IT TO REMEMBER, BLOODY HELL IT'S EVEN EASIER TO PRONOUNCE."

"My apologies Miss Tonks, we must, however, remain calm if were going to help young Harry. Severus have you heard anything?"

"No, if it was the Dark Lord's work everyone's keeping it quiet. It's far more likely that he simply ran away because it would get even more attention."

Alastor Moody spoke before anyone else could. "There's no way he could have walked out of that house carrying all of his belongings. That boy may be tough but I doubt that he could walk to the loo without help. His eyes were swollen shut; he didn't even know who was there until we each spoke. There's no way he could have left on his own."

"Then we must find the Dursley's. They would appear to be the only ones with information as to Harry's whereabouts. Was there anything in the house that might tell us where they are going?"

"Nothing, and from what Hestia told me I don't think this trip was planned."

Dumbledore sat with his hands steepled in front of his face thinking for several minutes before he spoke. "Kingsley I need you and Miss Jones to go back to Privet Drive and see if you can find anything that you might have missed. Arthur, you and Nymphadora"

"THAT'S IT. YOU CAN'T EVEN REMEMBER ONE BLOODY REQUEST FOR TEN MINUTES, HOW CAN YOU BE EXPECTED TO LEAD US AGAINST YOU KNOW WHO? YOU CAN CALL EVERYONE ELSE BY THE NAME THEY CHOOSE BUT YOU SEEM TO TAKE SOME PERVERSE PLEASURE IN IGNORING ME. YOU CAN SHOVE YOUR BLOODY ORDER." Tonks slammed the door on her way out and walked straight into several flesh colored strings. Four Weasley's and one Granger came running down the stairs.

"How can you be leaving with Harry missing? He needs to be found, he could be in danger."

"Hermione, I'm going to look for him. I promise I won't stop looking until I find him; I'm just not going to follow that old coot to do it. The way his memory is someone could tell him Harry's location and he'd forget within a couple seconds." She took a breath. "I'm sure he'll be alright, he's tough and always finds a way to pull through, doesn't he?" Hermione nodded. "I'll find him, ok? But I need to get out of here before I hex the old man. You guys keep your hopes up." With that she walked out the door and apparated away.

A/N: I always wondered why Tonks never really went off on everyone who called her Nymphadora. It really is easy to remember and to pronounce. She made it through training in a male dominated job and world; she has to have some chutzpah to get through that and I can't see her being someone to just mildly protest repeated offenses.

Thank you to everyone who is reading and reviewing. I'll try to answer all reviews soon.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I still don't have any money so _she_ still owns it.

A/N: Fleur shows up in this chapter so I need to warn you. I Can Not Do Accents. So there will not be one. Also there's no Nagini horcrux which will be explained later. Thank You.

Chapter 4

Tonks apparated into her sitting room and quickly changed her hair back to her preferred color. She looked around and found Madam Bones sitting in a chair. "Wotcher boss. Where's our prisoner?"

Amelia scowled. "In the kitchen making tea, he was just finishing making biscuits when I got here. He just laughed at me when I told him that he was supposed to be resting, pushed me in here and ordered me to sit. I was so shocked I couldn't even protest, I don't remember the last time a teenager disobeyed me." Tonks was laughing at the image of her stern no-nonsense boss being struck speechless by Harry. "Keep it up; I'll have you on the security desk for the rest of your career." Tonks quickly sobered just as Harry came in carrying a tray with biscuits and tea.

"Oh good, I found you, now I can stop looking."

"Why were you looking for me Tonks? You knew I was here."

"Well I promised Hermione that I wouldn't stop looking for you until I found you. I'm glad I found you so quickly, it seems you didn't leave very much evidence when you disappeared, and I was never very good at missing person's cases."

Madam Bones sipped her tea before asking Tonks what happened at the Order meeting.

"Hestia Jones watched the Dursley's pack up and drive off; she didn't hear any clues as to where they were going. Kingsley and Madam Pomfrey couldn't find any evidence of anything. The old coot was sending Kingsley and Hestia back to look again, and I think he was going to have Arthur Weasley and me check out the ministry for any hints."

"What do you mean think?"

"I didn't give him a chance to finish giving out assignments." Tonks had a sheepish look. "I kind of blew up at him and left."

"What do you mean blew up at him?"

"The old fart keeps calling me by my first name, so I kind of told him that his memory must be gone, and may have told him to shove his Order."

Harry sat there with his mouth hanging open for a few seconds. "You basically called Dumbledore senile?" Tonks nodded. "Brilliant."

She perked up at this. "Thanks, if we can get a pensieve I'll show you the memory."

Madam Bones smiled. "I brought one with me." Looking at Harry she added. "We have a few things to talk about. With what Rebecca and Tonks told me last night and what I found out today at the ministry, several crimes have been committed, for example, a missing child, and no one has bothered to report any of them. I'd like to go over some of your memories if that's all right with you?"

Harry looked at Tonks. "They're your memories Harry, but remember what I told you last night, they could really help a lot of people."

"Ok, what do I need to do?"

"Just concentrate on the memory and Tonks will do the rest." She reached into her bag, her arm going in much further than should have been possible, and pulled out a pensieve.

"What memories do you want to see?"

"Anything that you might consider a crime and anything that deals with Voldemort"

Harry looked at the pensieve; it was much smaller than the one he had seen in Dumbledore's office. "Uhm, how many memories will this hold?"

"Ten, why?"

"Well, we may need a couple more, I've been at Hogwarts four years now."

Amelia just stared at him for a moment before looking at Tonks who shrugged. "If half the rumors from my seventh year are true he'll fill this in no time."

"Ok, I have vials that we can store them in if we need them."

"All right." Harry started concentrating on memories as Tonks pulled them out and put them in the pensieve. When they had it filled they entered and watched Harry's first year. When they came back out Amelia was pissed.

"That old bastard knew that Voldemort would come after the stone and he put it in a school, and to send two first years off on their own in the forest to find something that is powerful enough to kill a unicorn…Ahhhg." She then launched into a tirade about what she was going to do to Dumbledore when she caught him. It was almost fifteen minutes later before she calmed down to find Harry and Tonks on the far side of the room staring at her with their mouths hanging open. "What?"

It was Harry who answered. "Uhm, no offense, but your scary. I'm not sure I want to show you any more, I don't think Tonks' flat would survive."

"Boss, I don't think that half the stuff you want to do to Dumbledore is possible, even with magic."

"Watch me! My niece is in that school!" She took a few deep breaths to calm herself. "Sorry, but she's the only family I have left and the thought her being put in danger like that at school makes me angry."

"Now I know I don't want to show you anymore." Harry mumbled.

"Why?"

Harry looked at floor and started fidgeting. "Well, they kind of get worse." He cringed, expecting her to go off again. Tonks spoke before Amelia could.

"Oh, look at the time. I have to meet Bill Weasley at noon. I should be going" She looked at Harry and mouthed "sorry" and popped away.

Harry looked at Amelia. "I'd offer you some lunch, but there's not much in the house."

XXXXXXXX

Tonks walked into the Three Broomsticks and spotted Bill sitting with a beautiful blonde. He looked up as the door closed and motioned for Tonks to come over.

"Hey, Tonks. This is Fleur Delacour. She just started working at Gringotts last week. Fleur this is Tonks. Trust me; it's safer not even knowing her first name. Fleur's worried about Harry. She's thinking about joining the Order to help look for him."

"How do you know Harry?"

"I was the Beauxbatons champion. Harry saved my sister during the second task so I will help."

"Harry seems to have a thing for saving peoples sisters." Bill added with a grin. "We have a private room in back, is it all right if Fleur joins us; she wants to learn about curse-breaking?"

Tonks thought about it for a moment. "Actually, can I have both of you take an oath that you will not reveal anything that you see or hear until I tell you it's ok?" She saw Bill hesitating so she said in a low voice "Bill, this is about that person that you said you owed this morning. He needs help."

Bill turned to Fleur. "Do it, you won't be happy if you don't." With that they both drew their wands and spoke the oath.

"Thank you. How much time do you have?"

"We've both taken the rest of the day off and Dumbledore doesn't think my skills can be useful in the search. Apparently he's right. Why?"

"Can I apparate you someplace then have you come back to get Fleur? I can't apparate two people. I can't explain the curse; I think you'll have to see it to understand."

Bill nodded and they went outside to have Bill apparated to an alley near Tonks' flat, only to pop out and back again with Fleur. She then led them to the flat and was shoved to the side the moment Fleur saw Harry and watched as the blonde hit him with a hug that took them both to the floor.

"Harry! We have been so worried that about you." Fleur started kissing him on both cheeks.

Tonks stepped up to them. "I didn't think you were the type Harry. You wake up in bed with one woman only to have another in your arms by noon. Do you have another lined up for tonight or do you just snag the first one to come along?"

Harry turned beet red and started stammering only to get worse as Bill stepped up. "In bed with one this morning? No wonder you covered your tracks so well. I think I need to start taking notes." He looked at Tonks. "I thought you said he needed help, it looks like he's doing all right on his own."

Fleur spoke first. "Bill, Harry is not like that, are you Harry? He is a gentleman who would never take advantage of a lady. Is that not right Harry?"

"Uhm, ahh…. Fleur? What are you doing hear?"

"I have come to watch Bill do his curse-breaking. He is going to teach me." She got up and Bill helped Harry.

"Hey Harry, where's the boss, and how did you survive?"

"Oh, that was easy, I offered her lunch and then told her that you didn't have anything to eat. She said that there was a market around here somewhere and left." He furrowed his brow. "Of course she was muttering about making certain Aurors re-take their training, something about throwing defenseless people in front of rampaging Hippogriffs. She also said something about not killing the messenger but that the person who brought the messenger to her was fair game."

Tonks grinned. "No she didn't."

"Yes she did."

Tonks started to turn pale. "She didn't"

"I did."

Tonks spun around to see Madam Bones standing in the doorway with two bags of groceries.

"You left Harry to fend for himself against a very angry witch, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"I just did a strategic withdrawal to gather reinforcements, ma'am. There's no way I'm standing in front of you when you're pissed off without more back up. Besides we've already seen that Harry can take care of himself in tight spots. The fact that he doesn't need another healer shows that." Amelia just continued to stare at her for a few moments until Tonks lowered her head. "Yes Ma'am, it won't happen again Ma'am."

"Right then, I believe I was offered lunch." She turned her gaze on Harry who immediately sprang into action. Within minutes they were all seated around the table eating sandwiches and getting to know one another and telling Bill and Fleur how Harry had become their prisoner. Bill filled them in on what had happened at the Order meeting after Tonks had left.

"Dumbledore said that it was probable for the best that you had quit because you were showing an immaturity that the Order doesn't need. You did have a firm supporter there though. My mum jumped down his throat, yelling that at least you had been responsible enough that nothing had happened on your watch and that you were the only one showing proper concern for that poor boy." Tonks was beaming. "Mum also said that you were showing that you would make a good wife and mother. Better watch out, I think she's going to try to set you up with me or Charlie because you have a firm hand and will be able to settle a wizard down properly." Tonks smile fell. "Don't worry, I told her about how much you like your career as an Auror. Her opinion is that a wife and mother should stay home to take care of her family, so you should be safe for a while."

"Thanks."

"No problem. Now why don't we take a look at this cursed object and see what's needed." Bill was surprised when both Tonks and Madam Bones look to Harry. He was even more surprised when Harry reached up to his forehead and pulled aside his messy black hair to reveal his scar.

"I'm the object. My scar is linked to Voldemort." He watched as three people shivered. "It's a name. It's not even his real name just an anagram. His real name is Tom Riddle if that helps."

Madam Bones looked at him. "How do you know that?"

"He showed me in the Chamber of Secrets. It happened second year, so you'll see it in the pensieve next."

Bill spoke up next. "Would this have anything to do with what happened to Ginny?"

"Yeah, it has a lot to do with Ginny. If I had known her a little better I might have been able to see that something was wrong sooner, I'm sorry."

"Harry" Tonks said in a low voice before anyone else could say anything. "We talked about that last night. Same information as you originally had. Remember?"

"Yeah, thanks. If you want to you can watch Bill. It might help Ginny if someone else knew what happened."

"I'd like that Harry. She's told me a little about it but I know there was a lot more that she didn't tell me. But first I'd like to take a look at your scar."

Harry nodded and at Tonks suggestion they went to the sitting room so he could lie down while Bill worked. Almost an hour had lapsed before Bill stopped muttering incantations over him. The look on Bill's face was pure horror.

"What? Is it that bad?"

"Yeah Harry it's that bad." He looked at Amelia. "I can tell you why You Know Who didn't die. He made horcruxes."

She paled. "Horcruxes, as in more than one?" Bill nodded. "Can you tell how many?"

"Five not counting…" He looked at teen lying on the sofa and took a deep breath "not counting Harry. I'm sorry Harry but that's the reason for the link."

Harry looked at him in confusion. "Uhm, I don't think we've covered those in school yet, what are horcruxes?"

"You won't study them in school. The only reason I even know about them is because we came across one in a tomb in Egypt. I know how to destroy them but only a couple of goblins can keep the container whole when they do the extraction. A horcrux is a device that contains a fragment of a person's soul. They have to perform a ritual and commit murder to split their soul."

"I have a piece of Voldemort's soul in me?" Harry asked in a soft voice.

"Yes." Bill kneeled down in front of him and took both shoulders in his hands. "Harry, we can get it out and destroy it. I owe you everything for saving my sister, but I have to ask you to do something before we do that. Harry, we can find the others using the one in you, once we find another one we can use it to find the rest. The only way that he can be killed is if all of these things are destroyed. It will take a while to get the experts here to deal with the one in you. I swear to you that we will destroy that thing, will you help us find the others first?"

Harry looked into Bill's eyes for what seemed like forever. Bill turned to Tonks and saw tears running down her face with her hands covering her mouth. "Do you have any Firewhiskey?" She just pointed towards the kitchen. He jumped up and practically ran into the other room. When he came back he found Tonks and Fleur hugging Harry from each side. Harry sat with his shoulders hunched and a blank stare on his face. Quickly pouring five shots and passed out three. He picked up Harry's hand and put the glass in it. "You need to drink this Harry. Come on Harry, stay with us here, drink this and it will help you feel better." He pushed the glass up to his mouth and Harry drank it. Bill then downed his own as Harry coughed and choked with both girls patting him on the back. "Doing better?"

"Yeah, thanks." He looked up at Bill. "I'll help." Bill just nodded and poured everyone another drink. Harry had a much easier time drinking this one.

"I'll talk to the goblins in the morning and get things started. They know how to make them locate the others and can contact the two that know how to do the extraction ritual. I have to warn you, they may not be very nice towards you. They really hate these things. One of the goblin wars was started because a group of wizards was killing goblin children to make them. Just be polite no matter what they say, all right?"

"Yeah. When do you think they can be ready?"

"We should be ready to do the location ritual tomorrow afternoon. The extraction just depends on when they can get one of the experts here." They sat in silence for a few minutes before Madam Bones spoke.

"Harry; would you like to wait a couple of days before reviewing anymore memories?"

"No, there's nothing that we can do about this now, and he's been in there for almost fourteen years now, another couple of days won't matter. We still have three years to watch." Harry smiled and looked at Tonks. "I call Bill for a blocker."

"No fair, why do you get the big guy?"

"Because if she kills me there's no more memories, so I get the biggest shield."

Bill looked between the two. "Is there something that I should know about?"

"No, you just need to remember to protect me at all cost. You probably won't last long, but hopefully if her attention is divided between you and Tonks I can get away."

Madam Bones growled. "I'm right here you know. And I wasn't that bad."

"No Ma'am, but I still hurt just from listening to what you want to do to Dumbledore. And like I said they get worse and this next one isn't going to make you happier." He looked at Bill for a moment then turned back to Tonks. "On second thought he probably won't be worth much after this either. We should probably have another shot of whiskey waiting for when we come out. Bill will need at least one." Looking at the man again he continued. "Just remember that she's alive and healthy."

Bill paled a little but nodded, but Fleur spoke. "I will keep him calm if it is necessary." Tonks started pulling memories from Harry's head; once the pensieve was filled they all entered. When they came to the Chamber entrance Harry told Fleur to keep a close eye on Bill. Once it was over they exited. Bill went to sit and missed the chair sitting hard on the floor. Harry handed him two shots while Fleur wrapped herself around him.

"That was a horcrux." Bill said. "There's no way that diary could have brought him back without a piece of his soul. I need have the goblins check Ginny to make sure there's no residue left in her." He looked up at Harry. "Would you mind if I brought her with us tomorrow? I know you don't want anyone to know where you're at"

Harry interrupted him. "If there's a chance that some of Voldemort is still in her then she needs to be there."

"Thanks." Looking at Tonks he asked. "How much, and who can I tell about this?"

"You can tell the goblins whatever you need to. If you can get Ginny to take the oath you can tell her anything, otherwise just tell her that you've seen Harry and he's ok and whatever you have to about the memory to help her."

"What about Sirius and Remus, they've been drinking themselves to death since last night?"

Tonks look to Harry who answered. "Tell them I'm ok and safe but nothing else. I'm still not real happy with them and need some more time."

"Fair enough. I need to see Ginny. I'll be back tomorrow after I have things set up." He turned to Fleur. "Would you like me to take you back to Hogsmeade?"

"Oui." They said their good byes and left.

XXXXXXXXX

Bill entered the house at 12 Grimmauld Place and started looking for people. He found them in the sitting room going through a cabinet. "Hey guys, mind if I borrow my little sis for a while?" Ginny jumped up and ran to him.

"Sure, come on." She pulled him out of the room and down the hall. "Thank you for getting me out of there, all this cleaning is driving me nuts." He chuckled.

"Let's go to your room so we can talk." Once they got there Bill locked the door and put up a silencing spell. "Ok Ginny, I have to tell you some things but the amount that I can tell you depends on whether or not you're willing to take an oath that you won't tell anyone about what you hear. I took the same oath before I heard any of it so you know it won't hurt you."

"All right, what do I need to do?" He talked her through the oath before explaining.

"First, I've seen Harry and he's fine. He's been healed and is in a safe place but we can't tell anyone this. He's getting some help for some problems he's been having and probably needs to have some privacy for it, ok?"

"You're sure he's ok?"

"Yeah princess, he's doing well. Part of what he's doing is reviewing his memories, I saw one a little while ago." He paused to take a breath. "Ginny I need to run some scans on you if you'll let me. I saw his memories of the Chamber of Secrets, and I know what the diary was" He saw the look of panic on her face and pulled her into a hug. "I just want to check you out to make sure there are no lasting affects, that's all. I'm going to take you to Gringotts tomorrow for a more thorough exam, the goblins know more about this kind of magic. Are you all right with that?"

"He might still be inside me?"

"I doubt it, Harry did a pretty good job killing that thing, but I want to be positive that all of it was destroyed. Will you let me run the scans?"

"Ok" Bill released her and started whispering the incantations while waving his wand over her. It was only a couple of seconds before he stopped and looked at the door.

"There's another one close by. Stay close to me, I don't know how this will affect you, but we need to find it." He went out the door waving his wand in front of him until they came to the sitting room where the others were still cleaning. "I need all of you to leave the room; don't take anything from it with you." He looked at the twins. "If you pocketed anything, and I mean anything, put it on the table before you leave. Hermione, get Sirius up here quickly. Mum he may need a sobering charm could you cast it?"

"I can but what are you doing?"

"There's something that's extremely dark in here, I don't want anyone touching it until I check it out." Seeing that she was about to protest he added "Mum, this thing is vile and can really hurt them, I need them all out of the room except Ginny. I'll explain later Mum, but right now I'm under an oath and can't say more. This is my job Mum, I do it all the time, so I'll be fine and won't let anything happen to Ginny." He looked back to the twins. "I meant it, everything from this room stays here, if I find out you took something Mum's punishments will be the least of your worries because you'll be dealing with goblins under goblin law." The twins emptied their pockets of stunned doxies. "Good, now you all need to keep quiet about this, you can't even tell Dumbledore. I'm trusting all of you with my life and magic and that of Ginny's so keep quiet. Now go."

Still not happy but seeing that there was nothing she could do Molly ushered everyone to the kitchen while Hermione went to Sirius' room.

Bill started scanning the room, stopping at the bag that everything from the cabinet was being put in. After emptying it on the table he scanned each item when Ginny reached out for a locket with an S on the front of it. Bill grabbed her hand and pulled her away from it to wait for Sirius.

It was ten minutes later when Hermione led him and Remus in. "Hermione can you close the door and wait in the hall for a moment please?" After the door was closed he cast a silencing charm. "Sirius, Remus, first I need you to understand that I'm under oath and can't say much and you both need to keep it quiet, all right?" They looked at each other before nodding. "I've seen Harry and he's fine and safe. That's all I can say until I'm released from the oath, but he did want you both to know that."

Sirius grabbed him. "You're sure he's safe?"

"Positive, I saw him this morning and he's fine." Sirius sat down in a chair.

"Thank Merlin."

"Remus can you get Hermione for me?" Remus just nodded and opened the door. "Hermione can you take Ginny to the kitchen? Remus can you go with? I need both of you to watch her closely, if she starts acting strange you need to stun her. I'm sorry Princess but it's affecting you so this may be necessary. I'm hoping that getting a little distance between you and it will help, if not I'll take you to the goblins this afternoon, ok."

"Ok"

"Good girl, now go with Remus and Hermione." Once they were out of the room Bill closed the door again and turned to Sirius. "What can you tell me about this locket?"

He looked at before answering. "Nothing, I've never seen it before. Why?"

"It's one of the darkest pieces of magic out there. I need to take it to the goblins so that we can destroy it. I was just wondering if you knew how it had come to be in the house."

"Sorry, but like I said I've never seen it before. Go ahead and take it, I really don't want anything that's here."

"Thanks. Why don't we go check on the others?"

When they entered the kitchen Bill looked to his sister. "Feeling better?"

"A little. What time are you going to come get me tomorrow?"

"I'll come by for lunch and we can leave after."

This announcement started protests from the rest of the redheads in the room.

"QUIET! That's better, Mum I need to speak to you in the hall for a minute. The rest of you remember what I said earlier, she can't say anything because of an oath so don't start questioning her." He turned and led Molly down the hall. "Mum, because of the oath that I took I can't tell you what's going on, but you know I would never do anything to hurt Ginny. Can you just trust me on this until I can explain, please?"

"You had better be able to explain soon young man, and if anything happens to my little girl you won't be able to sit for a week. You're not too old for me to paddle."

"She'll be safe Mum, and hopefully I'll be able to explain in a few weeks. I have to go now; I'll be here for lunch to pick her up. Make sure the others don't start questioning her, she took an oath too, and doesn't need the added stress right now."

After getting her agreement his kissed her on the cheek and left.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: If I owned any of it do you think I'd be letting people read it for free? Well maybe, but then again I'd have a lot more money from the books, movies, merchandise, etc.

Chapter 5

Harry was in the kitchen preparing dinner while Madam Bones and Tonks tried to calm down with another firewiskey, something that had become a ritual after exiting the pensieve. As they had progressed through his third year Tonks had become almost as angry as Amelia, and Harry had found out that Sirius was her cousin. She had known he was innocent but to have Fudge dismiss everything on the word of Snape and for Dumbledore, the head of the Wizengamot, to tell the kids that there was nothing that he could do had her joining her boss in some very painful sounding tortures for the old man. If Harry had a wand he would have gladly sworn an oath to never upset these two women, he would prefer to die from the oath than by their inventive minds.

His fourth year had them wondering if old age really was starting to effect Dumbledore's mind. They had both spotted several things that were well out of character for Alastor Moody and felt they should have been easier to spot by his oldest friend. The resurrection ritual left them too stunned to continue their inventing any more "Corrective Attitude Adjusters" as Tonks had named their tortures. The bombshell that Amelia had dropped on them after seeing the dementor attack on Harry and his cousin had Tonks coming up with some new ones that had Harry excusing himself to the kitchen, he really wasn't prepared for that in depth of a lesson on female anatomy. Madam Bones had revealed that the order for the dementor attack had come from Delores Umbridge, the Senior Undersecretary for the Minister of Magic, someone that she would apparently be very happy to torture for many hours.

Harry had spent the time in the memories to see if the theories he had come up with while being isolated at Privet Drive were worth anything or just something his mind had fabricated while it had nothing else to do. He had come to the conclusion that the Headmaster of his school was doing one of two things, either he was setting up these situations to test Harry, or he was actively trying to get Harry killed. He was leaning towards the killing Harry idea because if it was a test then surely he would have been closer each time to make sure Harry didn't get as close to death as he always seemed to. The only help from any of the adults had been in the form of slips of the tongue by Hagrid, and why would the Headmaster keep telling him secrets when everyone knew that he couldn't keep them.

His third year he found himself watching Hermione closer than anything else. He started noticing as she slowly worked her way to a complete mental breakdown while using the time turner for all of her classes. The added stress of researching Buckbeak's case and the isolation imposed by himself and Ron because of a broom had him wondering if it might not have been a little poetic justice being thrown at him this summer. Then there was the fact that trusting authority figures seemed to be as much a part of her physical makeup as her need to research everything. It was just Hermione being Hermione. So if Dumbledore had told her that it was for the best that she not write to him, she might question it in her head but never out loud.

Fourth year she had been the only thing keeping him from getting killed. She had tried her best to take care of him and make sure that he came out on the other end of Tournament alive. Not to mention being the only one to never even question whether or not he had entered his name. He also noticed something had changed in the way she looked at him while she worked to prepare him for the tasks. He had included his memories of the Yule Ball because Tonks had threatened to practice some Corrective Attitude Adjusters on him if he didn't. Amelia hadn't been any help because she wanted to see if she could catch a glimpse of her niece Susan saying that a picture just wasn't enough. Harry watched again as Hermione walked down the stairs looking, well, perfect. Both Madam Bones and Tonks noticed that he had the same look while watching the memory as he had when it originally happened.

While watching her he couldn't help but notice Ron. His other best friend was constantly starting fights with Hermione and almost always apologized to her right before his homework was due. Harry was happy to see that he would only ask her to help correct his homework and not to do most of it like Ron would. But was ashamed that not only would he not stick up for her when he knew Ron was in the wrong but would often follow along with him. There was also the fact that Harry had to be very careful of what he said and did around Ron because of the jealousy. He watched as the redhead would act a lot like Dudley towards most everyone else. It looked like he thought everything was owed to him and should just be handed over without question.

Harry had entered the pensieve to help explain things to everyone and to try to answer some of his own questions. He left with more questions of a different type and the more he thought about them the more confused he became. He finally came to the conclusion that Hermione was once again right, he needed to talk to someone about all of this.

Harry had everything on the table and called the ladies to eat when there was a knock on the door. When he opened the door there was a lady a little taller than him with shoulder length brown hair and ice blue eyes that narrowed the moment they came to rest on him.

"You are supposed to be in bed resting. Would you like to explain why you aren't?"

"Uhm, who are you?"

"I'm the one who spent the better part of last evening putting your pieces back in their proper places. Now why aren't you in bed?"

"Oh, you're Rebecca; it's nice to meet you. Thank you for helping me last night, would you like some dinner?" Harry stepped back and opened the door wider to allow her to come in. She kept her glare on him as she walked past.

"I would like to know why you're not... What's that smell?" Harry led her to the kitchen to find the others just standing there looking at the table.

Madam Bones looked up. "Harry, what's this?"

"Chicken parmesan with angel hair pasta. I had to make a couple of substitutions for the sauce and used regular bread for the garlic bread, but it shouldn't be too bad."

Everybody just looked at him before Tonks spoke. "He's my prisoner, you can't have him." They all sat and started eating.

Rebecca turned to Harry. "Harry this is going to probably sound rude but how can you be so malnourished being able to cook like this?"

He stared at his plate for a moment. "I had to cook the meals, but wasn't allowed to eat them."

"I'm sorry. We'll talk after dinner ok?" He just nodded and the rest of the meal passed quietly. Once they were through Tonks and her boss volunteered to do the dishes while Rebecca checked Harry. Once she determined that he was healing well she questioned him about his diet and not eating like she had suggested. While she wasn't happy that her advice had been ignored she did like that he wasn't gorging himself like he normally would at the opening feast and told him that he should be ok as long as he built up to eating large amounts.

If Harry thought that she was unhappy with his eating habits he was sure she was irate about his activities that day. Once the other two were sitting with them Rebecca unloaded on them.

"What the hell were you doing to him today? I remember telling the both of you that he should only be out of bed when absolutely necessary, not jumping in and out of a pensieve reliving his most dangerous memories. There's a reason that bed rest is recommended for patients in his condition, the body and magic need time to rebuild themselves. I have no idea how he can be in as good a shape as he is with everything he's been doing today." Harry broke in at this point.

"I'm kind of used to it. I spend a lot of time with injuries and have always been a quick healer. Lying in bed all day tends to drive me nuts and seems to make the healing take longer."

"That would mean that your magic automatically takes over to boost your body and heal you quicker. That means you're too used to being injured and brings us to the next thing I want to talk about. I want to prosecute those so called people but Ams said I have to see what you want first."

Harry thought about it for a few moments before answering. "I don't care what happens with Aunt Petunia or Dudley as long I never see them again. But I want Uncle Vernon to hang. I can forgive just about anything, but not killing Hedwig. I want him hit with everything that you can get him with and before he's locked up I want to make sure he knows why I'm doing it. Make sure he knows that all of it is because he killed her and that if I could torture him for it I would." His voice was filled with hatred and he was shaking with rage by the time he finished.

Tonks turned his head towards her. "Was Hedwig bonded with you as a familiar?" Seeing confusion in his eyes she continued. "Did it seem like you could understand each other even without speaking at times?" Harry nodded. "She was your familiar. It's a bond between you that grows with time. Eventually you would both have been able to feel when the other needed you. Her death will also affect you more than if she were just a pet. It'll feel like you've literally lost a piece of yourself."

Rebecca spoke up. "The breaking of the bond will affect your judgment towards anyone involved with it. It will make you want revenge at the cost of everything else. In this case I feel justified in using that to get him behind bars, but you'll have to be kept away from him for a long time or you could do something before thinking and make the case against you instead of him, so I'll handle as much of the questioning without you as I can, all right?"

Harry nodded. "Thanks just make sure he goes away for a long time."

"Oh, I can pretty much guarantee that."

Amelia spoke next. "We also need to talk about your hearing coming up."

"That's easy. I'm going to agree with everything, hand over what's left of my wand and accept the expulsion. It should only take a few minutes so I'm going to go in early and see if Madam Hopkirk will let me just get it over with."

"What?" Tonks practically shouted. "You can't do that, you were defending yourself. We have proof that Umbridge sent them after you. We can finally hand Fudge his walking papers. You can't just accept it with the way he's been treating you in the Profit, you have to fight it."

"Tonks you've seen my time at Hogwarts. What's going to be thrown at me this year, especially with Voldemort having his body back? I'm tired of coming close to getting killed every year and I know that Dumbledore and the other professors won't do anything to help, they never do. After Cedric was killed this year, I started thinking about all the injuries that my friends have had just because they _are_ my friends. Now that he's back it's only going to get worse and I'm tired of watching people I care about get hurt and killed. I'm tired of the nightmares and don't want any more. Who's going to be the next one to die because they're close to me? Who's going to be the next one that has me waking up screaming? I can't do this anymore; I don't want to do this anymore. I'm done. The only way I can see that happening is if there's no way I can go back to Hogwarts. Dumbledore won't have anything to appeal if I confess and accept the punishment so he won't be able to legally get his hands on me again. I know Voldemort will still be after me, but he'll have a harder time finding me in the muggle world than the magical one."

Amelia spoke up. "You need to go back to Hogwarts to learn how to defend yourself against him."

"You've seen my defense lessons at Hogwarts. I've had two teachers that have taught me anything and one of those was a dead Death Eater who tried to kill me. So that makes one defense professor who tried to obliviate everything since birth, and three who tried to kill me, even if I don't hold it against Lupin because he had no control, it still remains four for four on defense teachers. And then we add Snape to the mix. That man truly hates me only because of who my father was. He goes out of his way to make my life as miserable as possible and none of the other teachers or the headmaster will do anything about it. I've got four years of potions lessons that will show you that he can do anything short of an unforgivable on me and no one will say a word about it. I have my doubts if anyone would do anything if he used the Imperious or Cruciatus on me either, after all Moody wannabe used the Imperious on the entire school and got away with it. So as far as I can see the only reason I have to go back to Hogwarts is if I want them to finish me off, and I could have just smarted off to my uncle a little after he finished his last beating if I wanted that."

"As far as defending myself against Voldemort, how many of your best Aurors stand a chance going wand to wand against him? Ten? Five? One even? And yet for some reason people think a fourteen year old can do it. They think that I did something spectacular as a baby that killed him the first time. I've got news for them, I just laid there. It was something that my mum did that caused him to die. If they want proof I've got the memory that they can watch. I get to see it almost every night since third year when those wonderful dementors forced me to remember it. When they say the boy-who-lived, I hear them saying the boy-with-no-parents. My whole claim to fame is the fact that no one seems to be able to kill me properly, not even the psychopath with one of the highest body counts on the planet can get it right. But it seems that because of that bloody name everyone out there wants to give it a try, and I'm tired of it. I'm not playing this game anymore; everyone close to me seems to get hit in the crossfire, and I refuse to be the cause of another death. I'll help Bill find and destroy these Horcrux things and get this one out of my head and then I'm done with the magical world, someone with a lot more experience than me will just have to figure out how to kill Voldemort. Hell most of his bloody soul will already be dead so it should make things easier for them."

By the end Harry found himself shaking and out of breath, he put his head in his hands and tried to calm himself. He felt a pair of arms wrap around him and let himself be pulled into a hug, wrapping his own arms around the body that held him and not caring who it was. After a few minutes he pulled back and saw it was Tonks.

"Sorry about that. I seem to get angry really easy since the graveyard."

Amelia spoke first. "After seeing your memories and listening to you, you have every right to be angry about this. Look how mad Tonks and I got just watching those memories, you had to live them. To tell you the truth I'm surprised you weren't worse." She thought for a moment. "You said that you get angry easier since the ritual than before?"

"Yeah, why?" His eyes got bigger the moment he asked and his hand went to his scar. "Shite."

"Bloody hell, he's adding to your anger." Tonks caught on the moment Harry's hand moved. "The bastard can't even let you have a moment's peace."

"We'll talk to Bill and the goblins tomorrow, see if they can speed things up and get their experts here quicker." Amelia added.

Rebecca had watched the whole thing getting more confused as Harry went on. "Uhm, I don't want to set things off again but could someone please explain a few things to those of us who just walked in? Like the part where You Know Who got his body back. I thought he was dead. And what's this ritual and graveyard that you mentioned?"

Harry took a deep breath. "Voldemort wasn't killed the night he murdered my parents, he was just… I don't know, disembodied or something. He's been around as a spirit or something since then. At the end of the Tri-Wizard tournament the cup was a portkey that took Cedric Diggory and me to the graveyard where his father was buried. Peter Pettigrew killed Cedric and then performed a ritual that used my blood to give Voldemort a new body. He's back and probably really pissed that I got away again, especially since this time it was in front of his Death Eaters."

"What, wait, how did he survive?"

Madam Bones took this question. "Have you ever heard of a Horcrux?" When Rebecca shook her head she continued. "It's some very dark magic that basically splits off a piece of the person's soul and stores it in something giving that person an anchor to this world and making them essentially immortal. Bill Weasley works as curse breaker for Gringotts and checked out Harry's scar today. That scar is a Horcrux and has a piece of You Know Who in it, that's what your scan found last night. Harry destroyed another in his second year, even if he didn't know what it was. There seems to be four more out there that have to be destroyed before he can be killed. We're taking Harry to Gringotts tomorrow so that the goblins can use the one in him to try to find the others."

Rebecca had listened in horror until the last part. "The hell you are. That thing needs to be removed right now. You just said that it's affecting his emotions, there's no telling what else it will do."

Harry reached across to her and took her hand. "They can't just take it out. Bill said that there are only two goblins alive who know how to remove one without destroying the container. We have to wait for them to be brought here; in the meantime they can perform a ritual that will let them find the others so that they can be destroyed. Like Madam Bones said, it's the only way to kill him. I can have it removed once they find another and the experts get here. But not until then."

Rebecca squeezed his hand. "Then I'm going with you, I'll be damned if some goblin is going to perform some bloody ritual on one of my patients without me knowing exactly what it is."

"Would you be willing to check out someone else while were there? Bill's sister was taken over by one; he's bringing her to have her checked out. You spotted it in me so you might find something that they miss."

"What do you mean it took her over?"

"You wanted to know about the basilisk venom and phoenix tears?" Amelia asked. When her friend nodded she looked at Harry who just shrugged.

"Go ahead; maybe she can come up with some CAA's that you two haven't thought of yet."

While she reached into her bag to get the memory and pensieve Tonks jump up with a lot of enthusiasm. "I'll get the Firewhiskey."

"What? Why would we need Firewhiskey to view one of Harry's memories? And what are CAA's?"

Harry chuckled. "My memories tend to require a good drink after watching them. CAA's are Corrective Attitude Adjustors. It's what the ladies have come up with as a way to relax with the whiskey. They can think up some really painful tortures to inflict upon Dumbledore among others. You'll understand after you see it."

Seeing Tonks pour five shots the healer protested. "All right I understand looking through his memories today but I draw the line at one of my underage patients drinking."

"Oh, these three are for you, not him." Tonks said with a smile handing her one. "One to prepare for it, and two to recover from it."

Madam Bones spoke next. "Trust us you'll need it. And Harry's only had two shots today. You'd need them too if you had just found out that someone shoved a chunk of their soul into you head." She looked at Tonks. "We really need to thank Bill for starting this tomorrow." Turning back to her friend who was drinking the shot with encouragement from Harry. "Now you need to remember that this basilisk has been popping up throughout the year and petrifying students. Were lucky none of them saw more than a reflection of its eyes. Ready?"

Harry had to help Rebecca into a chair when they came out of the pensieve. Tonks was putting a shot in her hand and raising it to her mouth. Even after the second shot the color hadn't returned to her face and she wasn't responding. Madam Bones lightly slapped her.

"Rebecca!"

She jumped and looked around blinking. "Tell me I'm being pranked, that thing wasn't real. Was it?"

"Yeah it was; it's still in the chamber if you want to see it."

"No, no that's alright. I believe you. Can I have another please?" After downing another she asked. "That book was a Horcrux?"

"Bill says it had to be for it to bring Voldy back like it was."

"That huge thing was roaming the castle and the headmaster didn't know it? He knows everything that happens there."

"That's what the CAA's are for. Were going to go after all of the people who seem to think it's Harry's job to protect everyone and make them pray that at some point Harry decides to save them again." Tonks had a huge grin.

"Yeah, like there's any chance I'd go near you two when you're doing those things. They hurt too bad just listening to them."

"Where did that phoenix come from?"

"That's Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes. He seems to like me because he keeps healing me"

"Can't phoenix get past wards and take people from place to place really easy? Couldn't Dumbledore just send him to find you and bring you to him?"

The other three paled slightly looking at each other before Tonks said. "Harry, you said you think he likes you right?"

"Yeah, do you think he'd come if I called him?"

"One way to find out."

"Ok, Fawkes could I talk to you for a minute, please?"

Everyone jumped as a ball of flame erupted above them and formed into a beautiful red and gold bird that circled the room once before landing on Harry's lap and looking him in the eye. After a few seconds he let out a sad trill.

"I'm really going to miss her too." Harry said sadly. Fawkes sang a note that seemed to warm everyone and give them a feeling of comfort. "Thanks Fawkes, I really needed that, and I'd love to fly with you sometime."

"You can understand him?" Amelia asked.

"When he looks in my eyes I can, it's like he's putting images in my head of what he wants to say. He said that he was going to miss Hedwig; it seems that they had become friends and used to talk together a lot. He also showed me some of the times that they flew around Hogwarts together and invited me to fly with him. He says that it would be a fitting way to say goodbye to her, I agree." Harry tilted his head to the side still looking into the phoenix's eye before looking at Tonks. "You brought her here and put her under a stasis spell?"

Tonks squirmed a little. "Well the way you said that she was your only real friend I didn't want to just vanish her, I thought that you'd want to say goodbye. I was going to wait a day or two before talking to you about it, let you get a little better before I sprang it on you. Sorry."

Tonks was surprised as Harry grabbed her into a tight hug sending Fawkes into the air to circle around them. "Thank you." He whispered before letting go of her. Fawkes landed on her shoulder and nuzzled the side of her face trilling a happy note then looked at Harry. "Fawkes says thank you too. He'd like to know if we could go flying Saturday, he knows a spot a little ways outside of Little Whining where she liked to hunt and thinks it would be a good resting place for her. He says that he'll be able to hide us from muggles so we'll be safe and he can take us all there."

"I think we can do that. Would you mind if I brought Susan with us? I usually spend the weekends with her during the summer."

Harry was still looking into the phoenix's eyes let out a laugh. "You might see if Hannah wants to come too. It seems that Hedwig had her own fan club, Susan, Hannah and a few other girls would take treats to her whenever they went to the owlery. It seems they would get upset with me when I'd send her off with a letter and they didn't get to see her."

"That should be easy enough to arrange she's spending the night tonight so I can ask when I get home."

"Fawkes says that we don't have to worry about Dumbledore sending him after me. He's already asked but Fawkes can't take someone against their will, he could only come and get me if I wanted to leave the place I was at. Dumbledore knows this so he also knows that I'm not being held by Death Eaters, Fawkes told him that I was safe and happy here and that he would watch to see if that changed. It seems that Dumbledore asked him to protect me and help me if I needed it. Thank you, I really appreciate the help." They continued to look in each others eyes for several moments. "Why didn't he say something? He knows that I'd help him if I could. Dobby."

A very oddly dressed house elf popped into the room in front of Harry. "The great Harry Potter calls Dobby. How can Dobby help the great Harry Potter sir?" The elf was bouncing up and down with a huge smile on his face.

"Fawkes said you haven't been feeling well, your magic is starting to fail, is this true?"

"Dobby needs to bond soon or Dobby loses his magic and dies. Dobby likes being a free elf and doesn't want to bond a master but Dobby doesn't want to die." He started twisting his ears tears building in his eyes.

"I don't want you to die either, would you be willing to bond with me, I don't want to be your master just your friend but I want to help you. You could keep working at Hogwarts if you wanted to."

"The great Harry Potter wants to bond Dobby as a friend?"

"Yes Dobby, if you want to."

"Dobby wants to very much. Dobby be the happiest house elf ever. Thank you Harry Potter sir."

"First of all friends just call each other by their first name so it's just Harry, ok?" They all thought that the elf's head might fall off he was nodding so hard. "Now what do we need to do?"

"Just hold out your hand Harry Pot…Harry, and Dobby do everything."

Harry held his hand out and Dobby took it in both of his hands. A soft glow surrounded them for a moment before he let go and grabbed Harry's leg with a hug. "Thank you Harry Pot..Harry. Dobby is happiest house elf ever."

"I'm happy to have you as a friend too. Now are you happy at Hogwarts, are you still getting paid and days off?"

"Oh yes, they have lots of work for Dobby to do. Dobby is still getting paid and days off and Dobby buys lots of yarn."

"Good, I'm glad you're happy. If I give you some more socks as a present will that hurt the bond?"

"No Harry, the giving of clothes has to have intent. You give clothes to Dobby to make Dobby happy now not free like with this sock." He pointed to the black sock on his foot. "So Dobby can take clothes from Harry Pot…Harry if he wants to give them. Dobby has to go now, the other elves needs help in kitchen."

"Ok Dobby, you take care of yourself. If you need anything just ask me all right?"

"Thank you Harry." With that Dobby popped out of the flat.

Harry looked around and saw everyone just staring at him. "What?" Fawkes trilled. "You stop laughing, Dobby's a good person, he deserves to be happy after the way the Malfoy's treated him."

Rebecca opened and closed her mouth a few times before words actually came out. "That was the strangest thing I've ever seen." Fawkes trilled again.

"You can quit laughing any time now. That seems to me my life's motto. Normal Not Allowed. I can't seem to do anything normal." The phoenix jumped back into his lap and looked him in the eyes again. "Fawkes needs to go back to Hogwarts too. He wants to know if either of you would like a ride home."

Rebecca answered first. "No, I drove here so I can just drive home, but I want you to take it easy tonight at least. No more…" She waved her hands around in the air. "Things happening, just relax for a while, all right."

"I can't guarantee that, 'Things' just sort of happen around me whether I want them to or not, but I'll try."

"I guess that'll have to do. I'll be here about noon tomorrow if that's ok?"

Amelia answered "That should be fine; we should know by then what time the goblins will be expecting us." With that she said her goodbyes and left.

"How about you Madam Bones, want a ride from Fawkes?"

"Actually I would. I've always wondered what it would be like to travel by phoenix fire. What do I need to do?"

Fawkes flew into the air and hovered in front of her. "He says you just hold on to his tail feathers and he'll to the rest." She reached up and grabbed a feather and disappeared in a bright flame before she could say anything else.

Tonks looked at Harry. "Well what do you want to do now?"


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I swear that someday I will own something, until then I'll settle for mucking up other people's life's work and run like hell if I see their lawyers coming.

A/N: A couple of reviewers have mentioned that it doesn't look like Harry is becoming muggle. Please stick with the story; it's going to take some doing on his part to get there. I have the story outlined almost to the end, and he will get to where he's headed but as you will find out in this chapter he will have to have some magical contact in his life for a while.

There have also been a couple of questions about possible ships in this story. At this time there are no plans for any romantic pairings with Harry, though the outline is loose enough to for one to happen I don't see it at this time. Thank you to everyone who has been reading and reviewing.

Chapter 6

Harry cringed as he looked in the mirror, and once again told himself that he would let the Weasley twins disguise him if he ever needed it again. Either that or just dunk himself in a vat of acid, he couldn't decide which would be more painful. But no matter what, Tonks had both options beat hands down. He now saw an extremely over tanned bleached blond idiot staring back at him from the mirror. This was not how he thought he should look if he wasn't going to be noticed. Tonks on the other hand seemed to think that the way to remain incognito was to stand out like a sore thumb. The worst part is that she left his eyes the same. If he saw the person in the mirror coming down his side of the street he'd move to the other side in case it was contagious.

They had stayed up late the night before talking about anything and everything that came to their minds. Harry had finally gotten up the courage to ask her about her constantly changing hair and found out about metamorphmagus'. He had also started trying to sort out his feelings about everything. For her part Tonks had found out that the person in front of her was for the most part a typical teenager, confused as hell about just about everything. She had offered him some advice but for the most part just listened and told him that unfortunately there were no right and wrong answers, he just had to figure out what path he wanted to take and then try to not regret anything later. She figured he'd be upset with that, but was surprised to find out that it was just what he wanted to hear. He had said that it was the first time that someone had told him to go make his own choices and his own mistakes, learn from them, and then move on from there to make more mistakes. Any way that he looked at it, it was someone telling him to live his own life.

Then morning came, and with it the search for the best disguise. Harry still couldn't figure out how two hours could feel like three days, but he at least knew it was possible and that he never wanted to have it happen to him again. The worst part was when Bill had stopped by to tell them that their appointment was for one thirty. The moment he saw Harry he started laughing and took ten minutes to calm down, but every time he looked in Harry's direction he would start again. All in all it took him almost another hour to tell them everything they needed to know and to let them know that it was alright if Rebecca came along. He was also happy that she was willing to check out Ginny. The goblins were apparently great at most magic but healing wasn't something that they spent a lot of time on, if a warrior died of his injuries then it was his time to die.

Amelia showed up just as they were making lunch. After settling down from her laughing fit she gave them her news. "We may have a small problem with getting rid of Fudge. I've been quietly feeling people out all morning and found that the only people who stand a chance of getting elected are as bad or worse in their own ways. We have nobody who can get the job that I would trust having it."

"What about you boss? You'd do good job."

"I don't have the backing to get it and even if I did the next person in line for my job is Scrimgeour."

"Ouch. Ok you keep your job, I don't want to have to quit yet."

Harry asked "How does Fudge keep his job anyway? I mean the guy seems to be pretty incompetent."

"Mainly through support from people like Malfoy. I have no proof but I know that he's been receiving bribes for years."

Tonks sat there thinking for a few minutes. "What if we used Fudge instead of getting rid of him?" They both just looked at her. "Think about it. Right now You Know Who is lying low building his forces and making plans. We can't find out what his plans are but we can start building our forces to counter him and make plans of our own. We can have plans in place to take out everyone that was in the graveyard at the same time. If the ministry keeps saying that he's not back we can really surprise him when he shows his ugly face."

"How do you suggest we get the funding for the buildup?"

"What's Fudge want more than anything? His job. We have enough evidence to make sure he loses it but we're also in a position to help him become known as one of the greatest Ministers in history." Madam Bones looked at her like she'd lost her mind. "Just think about it. If we make him keep saying the same things he is now and have him raise the budget for the Auror forces at the same time, we can start our plans and nobody will know. Once he finally shows his face we're more prepared to face him and Fudge can say that it was all part of his plan to lull him into a false sense of security. We're taught to fight fire with fire, so to fight a snake shouldn't we be a bit more Slytherin about it?"

"You want me to blackmail the Minister?" When Tonks nodded with a huge grin Amelia looked to Harry for help.

Harry shrugged. "It should work and you know that Fudge knows how to keep his mouth shut. You just need to convince him that when it's over he's going to be known as the greatest. If he ever did accuse you, who would believe him? You're all about obeying the law and everyone knows it. I would like you to get rid of that Umbridge woman though."

"Don't you want him to stop smearing you in the Profit?"

"Why? I don't read it and didn't even know he was doing it until Tonks told me. I'm used to them printing things about me that aren't true. Besides, if he stops then that might tip someone off to what's really going on."

While she sat there thinking about it Rebecca showed up and just stared at Harry for a few seconds before bursting out in her own laughing fit.

"That's it; you're going to change this Tonks. Just lighten the tan if nothing else, but I'm not going out looking like this."

Amelia took pity on him and darkened his hair so that it wasn't so bright and lightened his skin to look like a normal tan, she also changed his eyes to brown. Once Harry checked himself out in the mirror, they left for Diagon Alley. Bill met them at the door and led them to a meeting room were Ginny sat looking scared.

"Hey Ginny are you ok?"

She looked up at the people who had just come in. "Harry!" She jumped up and ran to hug him.

Madam Bones looked confused. "How did you know that it was him? He doesn't look anything like Harry."

Bill answered for her. "She could probably feel him. There's some residue left in her from the diary, it doesn't seem like much but she can feel the others when their close by."

Harry tightened the hug. "I'm sorry Gin." He looked at Bill. "The goblins can get it out of her too, right?"

"They can, it should be easier than yours since it's just some residue. She didn't show up when we did the location spell this morning. We already have a team checking a vault in the bank for one and one heading to a town called Little Hangleton. The fourth one seems to be at Hogwarts and You Know Who is currently at Malfoy Manor."

Tonks spoke up. "I thought you needed the one in Harry to find the others."

Bill looked surprised. "I thought I told you earlier, we found one at headquarters yesterday, that's how we know that Ginny reacts to them. I must have been laughing to hard and forgot to mention it. I am glad that you didn't keep that disguise Harry. I don't think the goblins would have let you in looking like that."

Ginny spoke over Harry's mumbling. "So you have one with you? What are they anyway?"

It was Bill who answered. "They're a part of his soul that he ripped apart and stored in different objects to help keep him alive. He must have been preparing to make another one the night that he killed Harry's parents but he obviously didn't get the chance because of his curse backfiring. From what the goblins can figure without having seen it, when the killing curse hit him it finished splitting his soul and that fragment latched on to Harry, embedding itself in his scar."

"You mean that's why I…" Ginny looked down, her face turning red.

"Why you what?" When she didn't answer Bill turned her to face him. "Princess, this could be important, we need to know any information that you might have."

Ginny blushed deeper. "Well I always had a crush on Harry, even before I met him. But after what happened I started thinking that he was mine, and that no one else deserved him. You, Dad and Charlie always call me princess, and Harry came in and rescued me, he used a sword to kill the monster just like in the stories that Mum used to tell me. Harry was my knight so he was supposed to end up with me. Now you tell me that it's probably because of You Know Who that I think he's mine." Tears were coming down her cheeks and Bill pulled her into another hug.

"Hey, I saw his memory of what happened remember. I don't think anyone will blame you for thinking of Harry as your knight, I know he impressed the hell out me. Why don't we wait until we have you fixed up and get rid of that thing in Harry to see how you feel about it all. Then you'll know that it's your own feelings and not some outside influence, ok?"

Ginny nodded and looked at Harry. "Sorry."

"It's all right, Ginny, I'm finding out that these things can really mess with emotions. He seems to be making it easier for me to get angry, and making me get angrier than normal. I don't want anyone to hold it against me if I blow up at them, so how can I hold it against you? Ginny, would you let Rebecca check you? She's a healer; she fixed me up after my uncle, well after my uncle, and she's the one that found this thing in me. She might be able to help."

After she said yes Rebecca asked if there was a room they could use and was led to a small antechamber. Bill started telling the others what was going on.

"The goblins want to destroy them all at the same time. They said that if we destroy them one by one he'll start to feel them dying. They think we can kill one or two more before he notices but after that he'll probably try to get them and protect them. That means that when one of the experts gets here we can get the one in Harry, but the rest will have to wait until we have them all. They think that we can isolate the one in you so that it won't be able to affect you before we take it out. That's why we still wanted you to come in."

"That's ok; I need to talk to them about what I have in my vault and whether or not I can stop the tuition payments for Hogwarts. I need to find out how much I have to live on while I get some muggle tutors; I'm behind four years on my muggle education."

"Why would you stop going to Hogwarts?"

Amelia answered for him. "Harry has some really good reasons for what he's doing and Tonks, Rebecca and I are going to support his decision. If you had seen all of his memories and heard his arguments you'd probably support him too."

"All right, I won't argue with you about it, but you should be prepared for a fight. I think a few people are going to try to keep you in Hogwarts whether you want it or not. I'll help if I can, but I don't know how much I'll be able to do. With Sirius being wanted that would probably make Dumbledore your magical guardian, so you'll have to go through him unless you change that."

Harry looked at Madam Bones. "Will I need one if I'm expelled and can we change it if he is?"

"Yes, you'll still need one. You're a wizard because you have magic so it doesn't matter if you go to a wizarding school or a muggle one. But it's really easy to change guardians actually, I'll get the paperwork when were done here, you just need to think about who you want to change it to. It has to be someone who can support you if you need it. With your upcoming hearing you probably need to think about someone that you can say will help keep you in line from now on. The fact that Dumbledore doesn't have a lot of contact with you outside of school and that you have a hearing to begin with should make things go pretty smoothly."

"Ok, so when can we do this isolation thing? I can get mad enough on my own; I really don't want his help."

"They should be ready in about fifteen minute. Ginny will go first and should only take a couple of minutes. They want you to stay in here when they perform the ritual because they don't know if having a horcrux in the room will affect it. We'll come get you when hers is done. Now you won't be able to have any prolonged contact with her until we can get the one in you out. If the two of you spend more than a few hours in the same area the ritual will start to come undone. I don't see a problem with this because of your living arrangements, but it's something to remember. As it is, isolating yours will only last about two weeks; the bad part is that the earliest we can get one of the experts here is five days. Both of them are currently on jobs that they can't leave; you don't have enough gold to outbid the current potential of those jobs. If those jobs take longer to complete we have to wait, all right?" When Harry nodded Bill turned to Madam Bones. "The goblins would like to coordinate with you when they destroy the horcruxes, they say that it will weaken You Know Who permanently but he'll be disoriented for about a day and may even be unable to perform magic. We can locate him before they destroy them, so they want you to hit him right after it happens. They said that you'll be able to tell that the horcruxes are all destroyed because his scream should make a banshee jealous." Bill finished with a grin.

"If they give me a two or three weeks we should be able to get enough forces. But to do it that quick I'm going to have to figure out how to get some foreign help here without any one noticing. Could I give them a better time frame in a couple of days?"

"That should work, if you need some help from outside the country you should talk to Fleur, her father works for the French ministry, I don't know how high up he is but he may be able to help."

The door to the anti chamber opened and Ginny and Rebecca came in, the healer speaking when everyone looked their way. "She's in good health, I was able to find the residue, as you put it, but like Harry I don't know how to deal with it. I hope the goblins can do what you say."

"They can."

"Good, if I give you an address can you bring Ginny to see me at the clinic I work at?"

"Why? You just said that she was fine."

"Physically she is, but having someone take over your mind and body has to have a way of hurting you psychologically. She said that she's never spoken to anyone about everything that happened; I just want to give her the chance. The clinic I work at is in a pretty poor neighborhood so all of the Doctors have to have some training in psychology to work there. It makes it easier to help the patients. I'd offer to come to her but she says that it's impossible for her to say where she's living right now. Some sort of charm?" Bill said yes. "I'd like to talk to her for about an hour each day next week, we'll see how things go before we decide on a schedule after that if that's all right?"

"I'll have to check with our parents first but I don't see them having a problem with it." He looked to Tonks. "I may have to have Remus take her a couple of times because of work and I'll have to tell Mum and Dad something."

"I'll release you from your oath but you can't mention Harry. Ginny, you're released from yours to talk to Rebecca, is that good?"

They both nodded and the healer spoke again. "Two o'clock good for you? Then we can start on Monday."

They discussed the details until a goblin came in. "Were ready for the girl." Then he turned and walked out and Bill, Ginny and Rebecca hurried to follow. Madam Bones told Harry and Tonks that she would see if she could meet with Fleur when they took Harry in. It was only five minutes later when the goblin came back and said "It's time for you." And left them to hurry after him.

When they entered the room for the ritual they saw Rebecca already there. Harry was surprised to see that it was just a small room with only one goblin in it. It didn't even have any runes or symbols anywhere.

"Sit." The goblin growled pointing at the floor in the center of the room. Harry hurried to obey him. "Close your eyes and nobody speak." Once his eyes were closed he heard the goblin start muttering in a low growl that he couldn't understand. It seemed like only a couple of seconds when his head slammed back striking the floor. He bit back the pain so he wouldn't make any noise. "You're done." With that the goblin walked out the door.

Tonks and Rebecca hurried over to help him. "Harry?"

"Is it all right to talk now?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"Yes."

"Good, OW!"

Rebecca waved her wand over his head. "Better?"

"Yeah, thanks. That was it?"

"Seems that way, Ginny didn't take as long but she also didn't have her head hit the floor. You ready to go?"

"Oh yeah. I still need to talk to someone about my account though."

"All right, come on." They walked back to the lobby and found Bill and Ginny waiting.

After making sure that both Harry and Ginny were all right the two Weasley's left to take her back to where she was staying. Rebecca said good bye after agreeing to come to dinner and went back to her job while Harry and Tonks found a goblin to ask about his account. It was half an hour later before they were taken to an office with an old looking goblin sitting behind a desk.

"Mr. Potter, take a seat." Once they were seated he asked. "What can I help you with today?"

"I would like to know how much I have in my vault and whether or not I can stop tuition payments to Hogwarts sir."

"Sir is a wizard honorific, my name is Grimslash. You can stop tuition payment any time before August first when it is made to Hogwarts for the coming term. At this time you have fifteen thousand galleons in your trust vault with seven thousand of that set for tuition. You also have a one time allotment of ten thousand for the purpose of purchasing a broom. The amount is reset on June first for the next year from your family vault. At this time your family vault has a little over eighty four thousand galleons. It has grown at a modest rate over the last thirteen years due to interest and a couple of small investments. The last four years most of the interest has been being used to reset your vault. You will not be able to access your family vault until you become of age. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

Harry blinked a couple of times trying to process everything that was said. "Uh, yes, I would like to stop the tuition and get five thousand galleons exchanged for pounds please."

"Very well, give me a couple of minutes." With that Grimslash left the office.

"Are goblins always like this or is it because of the horcrux thing?"

Tonks grinned. "This is considered polite for a goblin; you are a depositor after all. If he was going to be rude you wouldn't have even gotten in. Remember that wizards have fought several wars with the goblins, they're a warrior race. Now they have to settle for handling gold instead of swords and axes, it's bound to make them seem a little grumpy."

Before Harry could respond Grimslash came back to the office. "Sign this."

Harry signed and had a wad of pounds shoved into his hands. "Is there anything else I can help you with today?"

"No thank you Grimslash, have a good day."

The goblin didn't even respond he just started doing his paperwork again, so Harry and Tonks left and went back to the apparition point in Diagon Alley to apparate to home.

XXXXXXX

Bill and Ginny entered the kitchen at Grimmauld only to have her crushed in a Molly Weasley hug. Looking at Bill she was about to launch into her questions when he stopped her. "Not here. Is Remus around?"

"Yes he's with Sirius feeding Buckbeak, why?"

"I'll explain when we get him. Will you and Ginny wait in her room for us?" After she said yes Bill went to get Remus and joined them after a couple of seconds and put up some locking and silencing spells.

"As you know both Ginny and I are under an oath. I've been released from most of it. I still can't tell you where I got my information, and Ginny has only been released to talk to one person other than me. This oath is non negotiable, we were lucky to get the releases that we did so everyone still needs to lay off her with questions. She can't say and won't be able to for the foreseeable future. If anyone has any questions they can come to me with them and I'll answer if I can with what they should know. I'll tell Dad everything I'm telling you when he gets in tonight. Princess, are you going to be ok with me telling this?"

"I have to get used to talking about it. Yeah I'll be alright."

"OK, during her first year Ginny came into possession of an old diary that had once belonged to a Tom Riddle. Tom later became known as You Know Who. It was a lot more than a diary; it contained a piece of his soul. That was what possessed her during that year. When it was destroyed apparently everyone thought that it was over and that she was fine, unfortunately no one had her checked before making that assumption." He stopped to help his sister after their Mum started crushing her in a hug while crying over her poor little girl. "Mum, she's ok. There's a little bit of residue from the diary left in her but the goblins are going to be able to take care of it. We're just waiting on the ones who know how to do it to get here; it should hopefully only be a week. Other than that she's in good physical health." After making sure Ginny could breathe he continued. "We also met with a healer who was good enough to check her out that's how we know she's ok. The healer thinks, and I agree, that Ginny needs to talk to someone about what happened. After talking with Princess today I found out that she's been having nightmares since it happened. Growing up with six brothers she's had to be tough and talking about nightmares is a sign of weakness. We've discussed that Mum; she knows that even I have nightmares, mostly due to my job, and that I have people that I can talk to about them. She can't talk about these with anyone right now except the healer and I, but any others she knows that she can go to you and Dad or come to me if she's more comfortable with it. Is that alright?"

"Yes, of course, you can always come to us sweetie."

"Well next week the healer would like to see her for about an hour a day so that she can talk about it and anything else she needs to."

"But why can't she talk to us about it? We're her parents and she should be able to tell us anything. We don't even know this healer, he might not be able to help her properly and I think that we should be there to help her if she needs it."

"Mum, the healer's name is Rebecca and she's recommended by some good friends, the same ones that got me to check on this. She wants to do this just because she wants to help Ginny. She's helping one of these friends free of charge, just because that person needs it. From what I've seen she's good enough to have her own practice in Diagon Alley, but she chooses to work were she does because they need good doctors in that area and can't afford them. Apparently she works in a muggle clinic in a really poor neighborhood. Mum, this the type of thing that this family could have used when I was growing up. We had all the love we could ever want growing up, but both Charlie and I could have saved us a lot of money with a few less trips to St Mungo's, couldn't we? Well she and the other doctors at this clinic work there because people like us can't always afford to go to the hospital. They help people because it's the right thing to do."

Remus spoke up at this point. "Molly, I've had to work in the muggle world a lot. When I've needed healing after a bout with the moon I've had to go to some of these clinics. The majority of the one's I've been in were good places that helped all comers no matter what. If this Rebecca says that she wants to help Ginny, you should seriously consider it."

"I still don't understand why she can't talk to us about this; I don't like this family keeping secrets from each other."

"Mum, these are dangerous times, certain people and information has to be protected, just like we are by staying in this house. These people don't have the luxury of a Fidelus Charm so they have to use oaths for their protection. They have shown a lot of trust in me by releasing as much of the oath as they have. Please trust that I would never do something that would put this family in danger."

Remus had been thinking while listening to Bill, something suddenly came into place in his head and he gasped causing every one to look at him. "Sorry, I just thought of something. If I whisper something in your ear could you confirm or deny it? Not a who but a what."

Bill nodded and the werewolf whispered one word in his ear. "Horcrux." Bill nodded again and Remus asked. "Can I ask how many?"

"After we're done here we can talk about it."

Remus said ok and turned to Molly. "I know what these things are and no I won't tell you or anyone else about them who doesn't already know. Bill was right yesterday when he told all of you that they were vile. I have a feeling that I know who at least a couple of the people are, no Bill I won't tell anyone about them, I'll take an oath when were through if you want. Molly you can trust them, at least one of them is the most trustworthy person you could know. But they really need to keep themselves hidden right now even more so than any of us do with the possible exception of Sirius. If they recommend this healer then she's probably one of the best and I know I would trust her with my life based only on that recommendation."

Ginny spoke next. "Mum, I really want to talk with her next week. We talked a little bit about something that happened today that was a result of all of this, it helped. I like her and I'm comfortable talking to her. I know I can talk to you about anything, but she already knows about most of what I need to talk about. I need to talk to her Mum, please let me."

The site of her daughter almost in tears made up her mind. "Of course you can go next week sweetheart, we just need to know when and where so we can figure out how to get you there."

"Well that's were Remus and I come in. She gave me her address and wants to meet Ginny at two o'clock everyday so I was hoping you could take her if I have to work."

"I'd be happy to; I think I need to thank her for some things myself anyway."

"Are you ok with this Mum?"

"Yes, but I would like to meet this Rebecca if I can."

"She wanted to come here for her talks with Ginny, so finding a place for you to meet shouldn't be too hard. I think that we should limit the number of people going to the clinic though; I don't want to draw attention to it. Now can Remus and I borrow your room for a few minutes Princess? I think I need to hurt him for having a brain." Ginny said yes and after the door was unlocked the lady Weasley's left the room. "All right Remus what do you want to know?"

"Is Harry still doing ok?"

"The only thing I _can _tell you is the same as before, that he is doing good and is safe."

"Ok, I wish you could say more but its nice knowing he's alright. How many of these things are out there and what can I do to help?"

"He made six, the diary was destroyed and I found one here yesterday. We were able to locate the others today and have teams going after two of them right now. The last one will be hard to get. It's in Hogwarts so Dumbledore will have to be told about it eventually."

"That's only five, what about the sixth and why don't you want Dumbledore knowing about this?"

"We know where the sixth one is and can have it at Gringotts quickly. It has to be taken care of differently and I can't tell you why. As for Dumbledore, lets just say that right now there's some trust issues happening between him and a few of my contacts and leave it at that."

Remus got a look of understanding before nodding. "Do you need me to take an oath for all this?"

"I don't think so just don't tell anyone." The two of them discussed meeting the next day to go to the clinic so that they could find a good apparition spot before heading their own ways for the night.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: JKR is the main owner, after her is a long list of companies one of which I have stock in. Doesn't that mean that I do own it? Just a thought please don't sue me.

A/N: Sorry for this but I honestly did have a really good day and couldn't help myself. I hope everyone else had one at least half as good.

Chapter 7

Madam Bones was having a really good day. Not only was it Friday which meant she could spend the weekend with her niece, but it was also the day that she broke her first law. She had grown up obeying the rules, oh she would bend a few here and there but would never outright break one, until today.

She had gone to Minister Fudge first thing that morning with her pensieve, one rather large file folder and two smaller ones. After telling the imbecile to just sit there and keep his mouth shut she proceeded to show him a couple of Harry's memories. Once they were through she had the pleasure to tell the idiot to that the next words out of his mouth had better be 'I resign' or his mouth had better remain shut. Opening the large file folder in front of him had to be in the top ten of her life's greatest moments. Every bribe that he had taken was documented meticulously and sitting right in front of him. She was going to have to buy Fleur a very nice gift for this memory. After talking to her for about fifteen minutes Amelia had said the magic words, 'could help Harry'. The young French lady had started producing documents concerning every transaction that Fudge had ever made and then cross referenced them with the names of known Death Eaters that she had given her. Not something that the goblins would like if they ever found out, but definitely something that Amelia was enjoying.

By the time she had left Fudges office he had her assurances that everything was copied multiple times and that if anything happened to her those copies would go to about fifty newspapers and foreign ministries. She on the other hand had his signatures on the termination papers for one Delores Umbridge along with an arrest warrant for her attempted murder of Harry James Potter. Amelia found out that the stubby git was planning a surprise for the young man. Once she gave it some thought she figured that he should go ahead with it, a little theatrics might start the week off right and it might just give them a few openings due to heart attacks. She also had his signature on all the necessary forms to triple the funding for her Aurors, not the amount that it was when He Who Must Not Be Named was around the first time but a definite improvement. She also had the arrest warrants for several other witches and wizards that had been recommended by Tonks. She said it was going to be a little gift of insurance for Harry and would only be filed under certain circumstances. Tonks wanted to reveal the gift to him during what she was calling his last meal on Sunday night. When she told Fudge that not only was he really signing that last arrest warrant but that if everything worked out he could claim it was all part of his plan, he was actually happy with the way she blackmailed people. He had said that if more people would do it the way she was it would probably never have been made illegal in the first place.

Her next stop was a very short one. Delores Umbridge had agreed to go to Azkaban for three years once Amelia had explained the alternative. With the evidence that she had the toad woman would be spending between fifteen and twenty five years there depending on how well the prosecutor's wife had treated him the night before and the whole thing would be written up in the Profit. If she went quietly then nothing would appear in the papers and when she got out she could tell everyone that she had just been on an extended tour of the wizarding world. The fact that she never mentioned that Umbridge had been sacked might have had a little to do with her thinking she could just walk back in and resume her job.

With everything going so well she thought what the hell and went to the secure international flu's. Each ministry had a series of flu's for talking with other ministries. All of them went to only one foreign ministry and was monitored on both sides for signs of eavesdropping. She contacted Monsieur Delacour about getting some help. When she found out that he was the head of a cultural department of some sort she didn't hold out much hope. Apparently though his wife's parties are _THE _parties and no one wanted to be left off the guest list. After some small talk while waiting for his assistant to contact some other heads, he had come through for her. The French ministry was going to have over half their Auror force ready to come when she called. Fleur was going to be getting a VERY nice gift for her help.

Madam Bones was currently on her way to the ministry apparition point having just told all of her deputy heads that she was going to start her weekend early. If she didn't know better she would have said that Susan had spiked her morning tea with Felix Felicis. Yes Madam Amelia Susan Bones was having a really good day indeed.

XXXXXXX

Bill Weasley was having a really good day. He had been called to a meeting with his boss that morning which was usually a bad thing. But when he entered the office he saw a grinning Slipknife, something that would probably scare the hell out of someone who didn't know it was a grin. After Bill had taken a seat his boss had set the locket that he had brought them the day before on the desk along with a gold cup and a ring. Slipknife then went on to explain not only what each item was but also just how valuable they were. To say that he was surprised would have been a huge understatement. His boss then informed him that they had had reservations about granting his transfer to the Diagon Alley branch because he had been so good at getting to the treasure in the field. He then promoted Bill to a senior curse-breaker position and was giving him the lead on acquiring the Hogwarts Horcrux as they were now calling it. If it proved to be just as valuable as the others he would get a cut of the profits for all of them at his new positions rate since he was the one responsible for finding them. The fact that all of them were so valuable meant that the experts on keeping the containers in tacked would definitely be finished with their current jobs in five days and that both of them would be ready to perform the ritual in seven. They would perform the ritual on Harry at that time and then wait for Madam Bones to be ready before the ritual would be performed on the others. He was dismissed for the weekend with orders to come in on Tuesday with a plan for acquiring the Hogwarts Horcrux and to bring Madam Bones with him so that they could plan the timeline for the rituals.

He was heading towards the banks exit when he spotted Fleur Delacour. He had first noticed her when his mum and him had went to Hogwarts to act as Harry's family for the final task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament and had thought she was beautiful. They had spent some time together since she had started working at Gringotts and he had found out that she was also extremely intelligent and had a sense of life that he liked. Turning from his current destination he walked up to her and asked her if she would like to celebrate with him tonight. When she asked what he was celebrating his mouth spit out the words before he could even think them. "My first date with you of course." He thought that his mouth had ended his date before it would even start. The kiss on his lips followed by a yes left him wondering how he had arrived at the restaurant and made the reservations for that night, he certainly couldn't remember it. He then headed off to Grimmauld Place to meet up with Remus. A promotion, a long weekend, and most importantly a date with a beautiful woman, all before lunch. Yes William 'Bill' Arthur Weasley was having a really good day indeed.

XXXXXXXXX

Nymphadora Tonks was having a really good day. After starting her day with a fantastic breakfast, she had convinced Harry that he was not going to be allowed to stay at her flat looking like a walking talking dust rag. What followed was her idea of a really fun time. Four hours of playing dress up with her own living breathing doll. Harry ended up buying only enough clothes to get him through a week plus a nice suite, but he had had to endure endless changes of clothes just for her enjoyment.

He had then treated her to lunch at a nice local restaurant that she hadn't tried yet, followed by a movie that he let her pick. All of this was followed by a meandering walk through her neighborhood while they just talked and joked around; he was getting better at not blushing. The most serious subject was who he should select as a magical guardian. She had settled the subject by reminding him that he was going to need a muggle one as well once his relatives were arrested. They were going to ask Rebecca in the morning because she had made her life in the muggle world and still had contact with the magical one. It would cover Harry in both and would hold up under any attempts to overturn it with the support of Madam Bones.

On the way home they had stopped by the local market where Harry had made her wait outside and refused to tell her what he had bought the rest of the way. Once they were in the flat he ushered her into the sitting room and told her to just relax and listen to the wireless. After about an hour there was a knock on the door which Harry said he would get, he then led her mother and father into the sitting room and disappeared back into the kitchen. She hadn't had any time to see her parents after graduating from the academy, with first having to find a flat, then moving, on top of work, and finally everything she had to do for the Order she thought she was lucky just to get some sleep.

Harry announced dinner and led them into the dining room where they found a delicious swiss steak with all the trimmings and a treacle tart for desert. He even had a bottle of wine that he said he had to bribe the clerk to get.

Afterwards he ushered them back into the sitting room while he cleaned up, joining them when he finished. Her parents told every embarrassing story from her growing up that they could remember before thanking Harry and heading home.

They both decided to call it a night and he insisted that it was her bed and he was healed so she should sleep in it. He then gave her a hug and said 'thank you for everything, especially for just listening.' Yes Nymphadora 'Don't call me Nymphadora' Tonks was having a really good day indeed.

XXXXXXXX

Albus Dumbledore was having a really bad day. Severus Snape, his spy in the ranks of Voldemort had returned from having been called by the Dark Lord. But he could barely talk or walk. Albus had levitated him up to the hospital wing and asked him what had happened only to find out that he and a few others had been summoned only so that they could be tortured. It seemed that Tom Riddle was bored. Madam Pomfrey informed him after finishing with Severus that it would probably be a couple of days before he even woke up, let alone be able to talk more.

The headmaster had been hoping that there might be some word in the Death Eater ranks about Harry. Everything that the Order of the Phoenix tried to do to locate the wayward boy had turned up nothing. For all the world, it looked like he had just vanished from the planet. He had Bill Weasley watching the bank for any activity in Harry's vault, but there had been nothing yet. None of his people could find any trace of where the Dursley's had gone, it was like they had driven into a hole and pulled the dirt over themselves.

When he had gone to headquarters he had sensed that something was off. When he asked Molly Weasley about it she just said that she couldn't talk about it and that he would have to see Bill because of some oath. He then went to see Sirius about it only to find that he was, unsurprisingly, drunk. What was surprising was the fact that he was a happy drunk, and when asked about it he would only blow a whiskey laden raspberry before going back to singing a very lewd tune.

The headmaster then turned to the sort of people who he knew could be easily handled, the children. After questioning all of them he found that only Ginny Weasley knew anything. But when she was asked she would say almost the same thing as her mother adding only that 'I really don't think that my family would appreciate it if the headmaster forced me to lose my life because he couldn't follow the simple instructions of Ask Bill.'

He thought that things were finally starting to go his way when young William came through the door just before lunch. Those happy thoughts were quickly kicked down when he was informed that not only the oaths but goblin law was keeping their tongues from loosening. The grin that Bill had when he told Albus that he would need to speak to him about some of it on Monday at one o'clock in the afternoon did nothing to help cheer the old headmaster up. It wasn't that it was an evil grin or even a predatory grin, no it was the fact that it was a happy grin that unsettled him. If someone could talk to the 'Leader of the Light' about something that had everyone keeping there mouths shut because of goblin law with a happy grin it probably would not bode well for an aging man. Yes Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was having a really bad day.

A/N: Yes I know that it's a short sappy chapter but it wasn't a planned one, it just kind of came to me as I drove home tonight after a really, really good day. Next chapter is the hearing.

Thanks for reading.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I'd be a little insulted if anyone actually thought I owned Harry Potter & Company, I mean I don't look anything like JKR, were not even the same sex.

Chapter 8

The weekend had been filled with mixed feelings for Harry. Saturday morning had found Harry in a large clearing surrounded by trees with Amelia and Susan Bones, Hannah Abbot, Rebecca Monroe, Tonks and Fawkes saying goodbye to Hedwig. They had buried her in the center of the clearing and then Harry and Fawkes had played follow the leader through the air for two hours. He tried his best to enjoy flying for her that morning and was helped by the comforting music from the phoenix.

After Fawkes took them all back to Tonks' flat Madam Bones told him that Fudge was planning to hold a full criminal trial two hours earlier than the hearing was scheduled for. He was about to get angry when she explained that this would be good for a couple of reasons. First it would give him an audience for his guilty plea; she conceded that this was mainly for her entertainment because she wanted to see how many heart attacks he could cause. The second reason was the more important one, the minister wasn't going to send out the change of time and venue until just fifteen minutes before the start, this would keep Dumbledore from knowing what time he would be there. Tonks told her that they would try to come up with something good for her boss' entertainment. He then thanked everyone for coming with them before they left. Tonks had asked Rebecca to stay behind and have tea with them so that they could ask her a question.

After they all had settled with their tea, Harry asked the healer if she would be his guardian, both magical and muggle. She had smiled then informed them that she had talked to the constables in Little Whinging the morning before. They were just waiting for the Dursley's to come back before they proceeded with the case. The constable had needed to know where Harry was staying, because he should have been processed into the system and sent to a foster home, the discussion had naturally turned to his permanent placement. The officer had suggested that if the friends that he was currently staying with couldn't keep him then she should consider it. She had done almost nothing else since then except think about it. Rebecca had been planning to ask him this morning if he would consider it. They discussed the arrangements and decided that while Harry was providing entertainment for Madam Bones, Tonks and she would get the magical guardianship papers pushed through. Amelia had assured them that the department head knew Harry's paperwork was coming and had not only her blessing but the blessing of the minister; she figured that if anyone actually asked Fudge he would be happy to say yes because it was a slap in the face of Dumbledore.

Rebecca then told them that she had met Remus Lupin the day before also. Bill had brought him and Ginny to the clinic so that they could find a good apparition point and Ginny could get used to the strange surroundings. While Bill and Remus went to find a spot she had shown the girl around the clinic and explained some of the machines. When two of them had returned they had talked for a bit, Remus had thanked her for helping Harry saying that he had figured it out. He didn't know who any of the others were but with Bill vouching for them it was good enough for him as long as Harry was safe. She then relayed what Bill and Ginny had told her about the headmaster's inquiries that morning, she had come away with the impression that he wasn't happy about not getting any answers to his questions.

After Rebecca had left, Tonks and Harry spent the rest of the weekend just relaxing and going through different scenarios for the trial. Tonks' ideas had him wondering about her sanity, but it was eventually decided that anything they planned would probably look rehearsed so he would just wing it but that if the opportunity came up he wouldn't even try to control his anger. Tonks figured that it would probably take a total of one minute for the Wizengamot to really piss him off; he gave himself a little more credit and said at least three minutes, there were the preliminaries of a trial that had to be observed after all.

The last meal Sunday night had both of the Bones', Hannah, and Rebecca all enjoying Tonks' idea of a feast fit for any condemned man, pizza. Harry was presented with arrest warrants for quite a few of the members of the Order being told that if they tried anything all of the warrants would be filed, and several people would lose their jobs. One of the warrants had him worried, so he asked if they could get rid of Mr. Weasley's, Harry didn't want to be responsible for him losing his job and getting arrested. Madam Bones told him they would hold that one for twenty four hours and just use it as a bargaining chip which he accepted.

After telling Amelia the plan for the trial she assured them that she knew a sufficiently strong shield charm that should protect her from any flying objects or exploding heads. She said that there was always a healer present for trials as a matter of course so any burst vessels would be taken care of. She was also going to convince Fudge to let Gerald Fenton take the presiding position, they now needed to protect the minister and she really didn't like Fenton so Harry could unload on him all he wanted.

Now Harry found himself in his new suit sitting in a chair in the middle of courtroom ten listening to the charges being read, looking at his watch the whole time. He had been able to get the proceedings started a little early because everyone was there. After exactly three minutes he stood.

"If I could…"

"The defendant will have the opportunity to speak in his defense now sit down and keep quiet."

"But if I…"

"You will sit down and keep your mouth…"

"Hey Putz! If you would just shut the hell up for a couple of minutes I can save everyone a bunch of time and effort this morning. Now listen up! Minister Fudge I believe the punishment for these offenses is the snapping of my wand and expulsion from Hogwarts, correct?"

"Yes that's correct."

Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out his wand. "Well my uncle saved you the trouble with the wand." He threw it on the floor in front of Fenton. "Now do I have to sign anything for this expulsion or do you just bang your little hammer to make it happen?"

Fenton stared at him for a moment blinking.

"Hey old fart, I asked a question. The whole idea behind me speaking first is to speed things up, so can I have an answer?"

"We just have to pass sentence. Am I to understand that you are pleading guilty to all charges?"

"Slow one aren't you? Yes I'm pleading guilty, now can you say whatever you need to say so that I can get on with my life please?"

"This court accepts the defendant's plea of guilty." Fenton banged his gavel. "We sentence the accused Mr. Harry…"

The main door to the courtroom slammed open. "For the defense Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore." And the aforementioned man strode into the courtroom.

"What?" about ten voices said.

"I am here as the representative for the defense." The headmaster said while striking a rather imposing pose.

"There is no defense." Gerald Fenton said while looking around for some confirmation.

"May I remind the court that every accused person is entitled to a defense representative?"

"What he means is that they've already passed a judgment of guilty so you're really not needed. But thanks for finally trying to defend me; you're only about thirteen and a half years too late."

"Harry I must ask you to remain quiet while I handle this. I'll have you out of here shortly."

"Are all of you hard of hearing or just incapable of understanding what's said? I DON'T NEED A DEFENSE BECAUSE I PLEAD GUILTY YOU MORON!" He turned back to Fenton. "Can we continue now, I would really like to get on with my life."

"I object, as the guardian for the accused I should have been here for the trial and demand a retrial immediately."

"I object to this idiot thinking that he's my guardian. If he is then why have I had to live with those people who call themselves my relatives?"

"I am your magical guardian Harry that means that I am responsible for you in the magical world. Now if…"

"Well this happened in the muggle world so you have no say do you?"

"The trial is being held in a courtroom in the ministry of magic, therefore I am responsible for you at this time."

"You responsible? Don't make me laugh. I wouldn't let you be responsible for watering and feeding a rock. Mr. Judge Guy, who made this waste of magic my guardian and can we verify it?"

"I don't see a reason that he would lie about this Mr. Potter."

"HE'S SENILE. The old man has lost his marbles, gone around the bend, and had his cheese slide off his cracker. I don't trust him and since he wants to change my plea I want to verify that he has the authority to, if this is too much trouble, can I borrow a wand, it shouldn't take but a minute or so to stun the decrepit has been and we can all catch an early brunch." Harry looked around for any offers of a wand while Dumbledore looked at him like he was the one who had lost his mind. "No one? Damn I really was looking forward to spending my day somewhere else. Madam Bones could I impose upon you to please verify this lunatics ramblings?"

"Mr. Fenton I think that in this case we really should verify the claims, if it's found out at a later time that his claim of guardianship is false then Mr. Potter will have grounds for a lawsuit."

"Very well, we'll have a fifteen minute recess to verify the claim."

Before he could strike the gavel Harry spoke again. "Could the court please instruct the deranged person to stay away from me while we're in recess?"

"Very well Mr. Potter, Albus Dumbledore you will keep a minimum of fifty feet between you and the defendant at all times during the recess. Is that understood?"

"I will not be able to comply with those instructions. It is clear that Harry is distressed by this trial and I ask that he be released into my custody and that a new hearing be scheduled at a time after we have determined that his state of mind has calmed."

"Then I want him removed from the room until you can show me that he is my guardian, either that or I want at least ten Aurors in here to make him follow the courts instructions."

Gerald Fenton was starting to look tired. "Mr. Dumbledore you will leave the courtroom and not return until we verify that you are in fact Mr. Potter's guardian. His request for verification has been granted so until you are determined to hold that position you will have no contact with him. You will leave now or you will be arrested for defying this court."

"May I tell Harry something private before I step out?"

"You may."

Dumbledore leaned in to Harry and whispered "The headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix is located at number 12 Grimmauld Place."

With that he left the room and Fenton called a fifteen minute recess. Harry just shook his head then went to sit in the chair in the middle of the room pulled a soda and candy bar from the inside pocket of his jacket and kicked back.

Ten minutes later Rebecca and Tonks came in the main door. Rebecca spoke. "Harry I thought you said this would only take a few minutes. Who's in charge here?"

"Hey Fenton! My guardian wants to know what the hell is taking so long. I mean it was supposed to be simple. I say guilty you hit your little hammer and done, so can we get on with it now?"

"Your guardian?"

"Am I speaking parseltongue or something? I can't tell when I am so it's possible. Yes, She, Is, My, Guardian. Now can we please get a move on, she's a healer and has appointments this afternoon. How would you like it if you went in to get your hearing worked on and were told that your appointment was rescheduled? Probably be pissed right?"

"Do you have proof that you are his guardian?"

"Oh, you were going to accept the senile old man's word but a respected healer is suspect."

"It's ok Harry. Yes I have the documentation right here." She handed him the paperwork and he looked it over.

"Well you are his guardian. Do you protest his guilty plea?"

"If I was going to fight for his innocence I would have been here from the beginning. I really do have appointments so could we please continue?"

"We can continue after we inform Dumbledore. Please show him in." After the old man was shown in Fenton said. "Your claim of guardianship has been found to be false."

"That's impossible, I demand that you produce proof that I am not."

"GODS, I think I understand why people plead innocent so much, it takes less time to have a full trial. I demand that you produce proof that you are my guardian. We want to get this over with so make it quick." When he just stood there looking at him Harry continued. "Well are you going to get the proof? What don't have any? Then what the Bloody Hell gives you the right to demand anything? You come in here interrupting a perfectly good guilty plea and you demand? I'm the one on trial here so just what the hell do you think you can get out of this? My trust? Sorry but you won't ever have that again. Now can you leave so that we can continue?"

Fenton spoke before Dumbledore could. "Mr. Potter is correct; we have evidence that satisfies the court, so until you can produce documents to the contrary we will be honoring that evidence. You will leave the courtroom now or you will be arrested." Dumbledore started to speak but was quickly interrupted by Gerald. "Madam Bones will you please call some of your Aurors to arrest the headmaster?"

"There's no need. I will of course bow to the ruling of the court. Good day to you all." With those words he left the courtroom.

"THANK YOU! Now can you please pass sentence? I believe that it was snapping the wand and expulsion."

"Mr. Potter you are sentenced to having your wand snapped and permanent expulsion from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." He banged his gavel again.

"Mr. Potter, if I may make a suggestion? In the future please try to refrain from insulting members of the court."

"Sorry sir, and I hope to never have a next time." Turning he lead Rebecca and Tonks through the door.

"Tea's on me." Tonks said. "There's a little café around the corner from the visitors entrance that is mostly used by ministry workers so we can talk there." She looked at Harry. "Wouldn't have him be responsible to feed and water a rock?"

"It popped into my head and out of my mouth before I could think about it. It is true though."

"Amelia said that she would give us a copy of her memory, she plans on having one continually playing in her den. Apparently no one has ever insulted Dumbledore that much to his face in such a short amount of time." Rebecca had a huge smile.

Tonks looked at him again. "His cheese has slid off his cracker?"

They left the ministry laughing, turning the corner to go to the café. Harry heard shouting and everything went black.

XXXXXXXXX

"Harry sir wakes up Harry." Harry started to come around slowly opening his eyes. "Harry Po… Harry yous need leave here, you no want to be here."

"Dobby?"

"Yes Harry, Dobby be coming to get you."

"How did you find me?" He looked around the dark room that he was in.

"Dobby find you with the bond Harry." Before Harry could respond they were interrupted by shouting coming from the door.

"You bonded Dobby? How could you? You know that's slavery and its wrong. I expected better from you Harry. You free him right now."

"Hermione? What's going on, where are we?"

"Stop avoiding the subject, you bonded Dobby. I thought that he was your friend and you made him your slave. Now you free him before I get Mrs. Weasley."

"You think I made Dobby my slave?"

"That's what the house elf bond is Harry, slavery. Now free him."

"I thought you knew me better than that. I thought that we could… never mind. I must have been seeing things that weren't there." Keeping his eyes down he started to get out of the bed.

"What do you mean? You thought we could what?"

"I said never mind. Where are we?"

"Not until you free Dobby." Hermione crossed her arms across her chest.

"Where are my glasses?" Dobby handed them to him. "Thanks. Can you tell me where we are?"

"We's in the place where you doggy is Harry, but we must be leaving you not want to be here."

"We're in the headquarters for the Order?"

"Yes, now are you going to free Dobby?"

"Have you ever talked to a house elf Hermione? I mean really talked to them, not just preaching that they need to accept what you want?"

"I do not preach, I was trying to teach them about freedom and that they didn't have to be slaves. I thought that you were my friend and that you would respect my views enough not to start enslaving innocent creatures."

Harry took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "Hermione, you should have taken the time to get to know me a little better. It is what friends do after all. Dobby how long does Winky have before she'll start to lose her magic?"

Dobby lowered his gaze. "Winky already losing magic, it be gone soon. Winky not bond soon enough, Winky lose magic fast because she drinking the butterbeer. The other house elves couldn't help." Large tears were falling to the floor near Dobby's feet.

"I'm sorry Dobby, is there anything I can do?"

"Harry a good friend, it too late for Winky. The other house elves bury Winky when she gone."

Harry looked at Hermione who was just staring at Dobby. "This is what being free costs a house elf. They need the bond with a wizard to live. I never would have thought that you could think that badly of me. I guess that I really was just imagining it."

"Oh Harry I'm sorry."

"Save it. Dobby I think I need to stay here and talk to some people. Where are Tonks and Rebecca?"

"Tonks quit the Order, I don't know a Rebecca. Harry I'm sorry I thought…"

"They're not here? What'd they do just leave them in the street? Dobby would you do me a favor? Can you check on Tonks and Rebecca for me and make sure they're ok?"

"Yes Harry I check on them." Dobby popped out of the room."

"I need to find the so called Adults here. I need to warn them about the…SHITE." He turned back to Hermione. "Is Ginny here?"

Hermione was now looking at the floor and answered in a small voice. "Yes, she's been yelling and screaming since they brought you here. She's saying that she can't be near you, that it's dangerous."

"She's right. How long have I been here?"

"About two hours. How can she be right what did you do?"

Harry just looked at her for a moment then shook his head. "Did you always think the worst of me before getting my side of the story or is this something new?"

"I'm not thinking the worst, but the way she's yelling about how dangerous it is for you to be near her, well it sounds like you did something. She says she can't talk about it just that you can't be close to her."

"And this leads you to think that I did something horrible? Did she tell anyone to get Bill?"

"Yes, but Dumbledore said that wasn't necessary until she could tell him what the problem was."

"Shite, is he trying to kill her. She's under a bloody oath. Where the hell are they?"

"Almost everyone is in the kitchen."

They stood there for a moment. "Well, could you show me where it is? Or should I just wander around until I find it?"

"Harry why are you being this way? I said that I was sorry."

Harry just turned and left the room heading down the stair to the first floor where found the kitchen. When he walked in everything stopped until Ginny jumped up and ran to him.

"They're trying to get me to break my oath and they won't get Bill. Harry how much time do you think we have left?"

"I don't know Gin, they never said how long for sure just a few hours so we should be ok for right now." He turned to the others in the room. "Can one of you send a messenger spell to Bill; he needs to be here to explain some of this."

Dumbledore was the first to speak. "Harry my boy, there is no danger to you being here with Miss Weasley, now why don't we go to another room and have a talk."

Harry looked around the room. "Does anyone know how to do the messenger spell?" When nobody said anything he turned to the side. "Dobby." The small elf popped in front of him. "I hate to ask this but I need another favor. Can you find Bill Weasley and tell him that he needs to get here as quick as possible?"

"Dobby does this for Harry. Harry's missus Tonksy and Becca is ok." He popped back out.

"Harry I must insist that we go to another room to talk about this."

"I don't give a damn what you insist. You're trying to kill Ginny by forcing her to break an oath; do you really think that I'm going anywhere alone with you?"

Molly Weasley spoke. "This really is part of the oath that you took."

"I've been telling everyone that it is. None of you will listen to me."

Dobby and Bill popped into the room and Ginny ran into her brothers arms.

"Thank you Dobby, what's going on? Harry you shouldn't be here" Bill asked as Dobby left.

"These idiots ambushed Rebecca, Tonks and me and left the ladies lying in the street." He turned back to the headmaster. "I should tell you that there are now arrest warrants for Hestia Jones, Emmeline Vance, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Alastor Moody, Mundugas Fletcher, Minerva McGonagall, Severus Snape, and of course you. Mrs. Weasley I was only able to get them to hold the one for Mr. Weasley for twenty four hours." The noise level rose as Emmeline Mad Eye and Molly all started talking at once. Molly's voice finally rose above the rest.

"Why would they arrest Arthur, he hasn't done anything wrong."

"I'm sorry Mrs. Weasley they wrote the warrants for people known to be in the Order. They were going to file them if something happened to me and I asked them to get rid of the one for Mr. Weasley. They said that they'd wait for twenty four hours after the others were filed, if I get back then it won't be filed. I just found out about them last night."

"He'll lose his job, we'll lose everything." She was sobbing.

Harry turned to Bill. "I'm sorry I tried."

"It's not your fault Harry; they're just looking out for you. We'll get you back and it won't have to happen."

"I'm afraid that Harry will be staying here until the start of term he needs to be kept safe and this is the safest place for him." Dumbledore said as he stood up and walked towards Harry.

"SAFE? You call being ambushed safe. I was doing perfectly well with out you. Not one spell was fired at me until YOU fired them. Then you try to force Ginny to break her oath knowing full well that it will kill her. What part of being anywhere near you is SAFE?"

There was no mistaking the anger coming from Bill as he growled. "You tried to break her oath? You tried to kill my sister?" What happened next left everyone stunned. Bill's fist making contact with the headmasters jaw left the old man on the floor and everyone else looking like they had been hit with a body bind. "If you so much as look in Princesses direction again I will kill you myself. As soon as I get back to Gringotts I will have them put out the order for your arrest. If you ever show your face in any branch again you will be arrested. I told you that you were dealing with goblin law when I told you about the oaths."

Harry was the first to regain his senses when he saw Dumbledore's hand reach into his robes. He stomped on it hearing not only the crack of a breaking wand but of several bones as well. "I don't think so old man."

Dumbledore looked at his wand. "Harry you have no idea how much you've harm you've done to the war effort. I had hoped that we could work together so that you would be ready to face Voldemort."

"Why the hell would I want to face that psycho again? He's nearly killed me every time you forced me into his path. If you want me dead then grow some balls and do it yourself you bastard. I'm not going after Voldemort. My whole reason for getting away from you is so that I can live longer."

Ron finally spoke up. "You're running from him? You're a coward. We're all trying to fight him and you're running away." Bill was still growling when he answered for Harry.

"He's done more in the past week to kill You Know Who than the entire Order has since he came back and considering he's the only one in this room who spoke up against the attempts to break Ginny's oath I wouldn't be calling him a coward. He's the one who suggested that Rebecca check Ginny. He's the reason that I knew to have the goblins check her and the reason that she's getting help that she should have had two years ago. He's the reason that Ginny's here at all. I've seen the memories of the Chamber and the one thing that you can not call Harry is a coward." He turned back to Dumbledore. "How did you not figure out what that diary was? There's no way it could have brought him back without a fragment being in it."

"That information needs to be kept secret it can not get out or I will not be able to find them."

Bill's voice took on a dangerous tone. "You knew about them? The only way to kill him and you're keeping it a secret from the people fighting him? You've had one sitting under your nose this whole time and you've done nothing about it."

"There is nothing that I can do about the one in Harry. It can only be removed with his death and the only one who can kill him is Voldemort. It's his destiny."

"You really are trying to kill him. The goblins can get it out of him without him killing him you idiot. The one I was talking about is at Hogwarts right now, that's what I was going to talk to you about this afternoon. I have a team of goblins who are ready to go get it."

"We have no way of knowing how many he made only that it was more than one. To think that we can defeat him without all of the knowledge would be foolhardy."

"He made six, the maximum number he can make. We have all of them except the Hogwarts one. We'll be going in to get that one with or without you tomorrow."

Arthur Weasley came running into the room. "The ministry has arrested Kingsley and Hestia. They're sending Aurors to Hogwarts to arrest you and Professors McGonagall and Snape." Harry noticed that the kitchen had become crowded while his attention was on the headmaster. The twins, Remus and Sirius were standing near the door now. Mrs. Weasley rushed into her husbands arms.

"Oh Arthur, they're going to arrest you to. You'll lose your job."

Ron spoke next. "Harry is doing this." Before he could continue Bill spoke again.

"Didn't you hear what he said? The only reason Dad wasn't arrested with the others is because Harry told them not to. He's trying to protect this family. The only reason anyone was arrested is because Harry was kidnapped and two ladies were attacked by the Order. One of those ladies is the person who is trying to help your sister so you should direct your anger at the old man over here." He turned back to Dumbledore. "Tomorrow we're going to Hogwarts and getting the last one. If you interfere the goblins will arrest you."

"You mean if the ministry doesn't do it first. From what Madam Bones said Fudge had a pretty evil grin when he signed the warrant for him."

"Dad get the family together, you can't stay here anymore. I'm taking Harry back to the ministry then I'll come to the burrow and start reinforcing the wards. I'll see if I can't get the goblins to add a few tomorrow." He looked at his sister. "I'll see if Rebecca is ok and if she can see you today but I think we may have to wait until tomorrow for you to start your counseling. Remus will have to take you. The good news is that the experts will be here in another couple of days so we can get rid of the residue in you, ok?"

"Thank you." She gave her oldest brother a hug.

"No problem Princess. Now why don't you go pack up and I'll take Harry back." After another hug from Ginny he turned to Harry. "You ready?"

"Yeah, I want to make sure Tonks and Rebecca are ok." Without another word to anyone they walked out of the kitchen and the house ignoring the cry of "Harry" from Hermione and Sirius.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't even own the plot, the voices own it.

Chapter 9

Bill and Harry walked into the ministry only to have wands drawn on them. Both of them stopped and slowly raised their hands before hearing Madam Bones shout. "Lower your wands." She came pushing her way through the group of Aurors. "Are you ok Harry?"

"Yeah, how are Rebecca and Tonks?"

"Worried, they're in my office. I had to bind Tonks; she was going to go after you on her own. Can you give us a statement Bill?"

"Will an assault be held against me?" He was still growling.

"That depends on who you assaulted. Please give me a name I can live with."

Harry put his hand on Bill's shoulder and answered for him. "The old man tried to get Ginny to break her vow. Bill showed him that it wasn't his smartest move."

"Lets go to my office and you can tell me what happened." She turned to the Aurors. "I need you to go to Hogwarts to back up the squad already there. I want Dumbledore arrested the moment he shows his face. Remember, he's already assaulted one Auror, go." Amelia led them to the lifts and to her office.

Harry was hit with a hug the moment he entered. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, how about you and Tonks?" He looked over at the pink haired Auror who was now smiling.

"We're fine; we were only hit with a couple of stunners." Rebecca released Harry only to be replaced by Tonks.

"How did you get out?"

"That's what I need to know." Madam Bones interrupted the little reunion.

Harry looked at Bill who still looked pissed so he told the story. When he was done he asked. "Do you know who the ones that did it are?"

"Hestia, Mundungas, and a David Johnston we have them in cells now. We released Kingsley, he apparently didn't know anything about this, and we also pulled the warrants on Professors McGonagall and Snape and on Emmeline Vance since they weren't involved. We're still not sure about Alastor." She turned to Bill. "We'll be adding attempted murder to Dumbledore's charges; do you think Ginny will be ok with coming in and giving us a statement?"

"I can ask her but I don't want her to have to do it today, would tomorrow morning be good enough?" Amelia said yes and Bill turned to Rebecca. "I know you probably don't feel like it but I think Princess could really use someone to talk to today."

"I think that would be a good idea especially after everything that's happened today, having her headmaster try to kill her has to have really affected her. If you want I can come with you so that she can be in familiar surroundings, she might need that for a couple of days."

"Thanks I think she'll appreciate that and it will give you a chance to meet our parents. Speaking of having your headmaster try to kill you, are you ok Harry?"

"I don't know, I kind of figured out that everything he had done to me was either a test or he wanted me dead. I was leaning towards dead already but to have him confirm it… I don't know."

Tonks pulled him back into a hug. "We can talk about it when we get home." She turned to Bill. "I release you from your oath please let Ginny's go. I'm sorry; I never thought that this would happen."

"It's not your fault. We know who's to blame."

An Auror knocked on the door. "We just brought the headmaster in, he was hit with about ten stunners and five incarcerous spells at the same time so we have him in the infirmary at the moment. His hand also looked like it had been broken." He reached into his robes and pulled out a broken wand looking a little nervous he continued. "It seems that when we hit him we may have broken his wand, either that or it broke when he fell on it, we're not sure which."

"I broke it when I broke his hand."

The Auror looked over the skinny kid that had said this and snorted. "You broke it? I don't think so."

Bill stood up. "Would you like us to demonstrate how it was done? I'm sure you'll believe him while you're having your hand healed."

"Don't forget the jaw, his doesn't look as strong as the old mans, I think you'll break it this time." Harry was next to Bill glaring.

Madam Bones noticed something in the other two women in the room. "Harry, Bill, step back please. Auror Riley you need to look around. The last two people you want to piss off right now are standing in this room, they just got Harry back after he was kidnapped and Bill is the one who brought him back. One of these people is a healer so she knows exactly which spots to hit to hurt you the most. You already know what happens when someone pisses off Auror Tonks, I believe you had plenty of time in the infirmary after making fun of her during training. These two men have already taken some of their anger out on someone, they haven't. Do really want to be the one to push them over the edge?" When Amelia had mentioned that they had just got him back Harry had looked at the two women mentioned. One look at their faces and he put his hand on Bill arm. When the older man looked at Harry he saw a hint of something that he hadn't seen there before, fear, he followed the prompt and backed up to the wall giving him a questioning look.

Harry leaned over and whispered. "That look means that CAA's are coming. If they move, hide. You don't want to see it."

Bill had no idea what CAA's were but if they could put that look on Harry's face he didn't want any part of them.

Auror Riley had seen the two guys back up and the way the kid looked at the women in question. He then looked at them himself and saw a face he would never forget. He had seen that face one time before and it took a week for the healers at St. Mungo's to reverse all of the spell damage on him. The fire red hair and eyes were permanently burned into his mind. He looked back at the two guys and the younger one spoke.

"Don't look at us, we know when to run. If you're too stupid to figure it out you're on your own."

After one more look at the women he decided that the kid may be right and literally ran from the office.

Bill looked at Harry. "What are CAA's?"

"Corrective Attitude Adjusters, I've discovered that when women are pissed off they can be really creative in coming up with ways to punish the ones that did it. Trust me if you see that look on a woman, run like hell."

Madam Bones was pulling a sheet of parchment from her desk. "I think Riley needs to work on his people skills, a couple of months at the security desk should help with that." As she filled in the form Minister Fudge walked into the office.

"Did you really arrest Dumbledore?" Amelia looked up.

"Please close the door." Once he did she continued. "Harry we need to downplay this in the press, I'm sorry but I think we need to keep making you look a little unbalanced."

"That's ok, like I said I'm used to it and I don't read the paper anyway."

"Not to mention the way you were acting court this morning, everyone who was there will believe you're a complete nutter." Tonks added with a grin.

"That's true; you even had me wondering for a moment." Amelia continued. "Minister we need you to say that he was brought in for questioning but that, since the story comes from Harry, we're not really giving it any weight. Hopefully we'll have everything in place to finish this in the next couple of weeks. Can you do this?"

"Yes, that might work with the Profit."

"Thank you. Now I think we should let you all go about your business."

Bill spoke. "Minister could you give us a moment?" When Fudge nodded, still grinnign like a madman, and left he continued. "The goblin's experts should be here on Wednesday so we should be ready for the ritual on Thursday. We're going to Hogwarts tomorrow to get the last one, could you have a couple of Aurors meet us there, I'd like to have some ministry back up in case there's trouble."

"Let me know what time and I'll be there with them. Could you let the goblins know that we should have everything in place for the attack by the end of the week, Fleur's father has been a great help?"

"I'll let them and Fleur know. We'll be at Hogwarts at eleven tomorrow morning. What time would you like to talk to Ginny?"

"How about eight?"

He agreed and they all said their goodbyes to Amelia and made their way to the apparition point talking along the way. Tonks and Harry made sure that Rebecca was going to come over for dinner and invited Bill to join them. Bill begged off saying he was having dinner with Fleur. Rebecca side along apparated with him to the Borrow, and Tonks and Harry went back to her flat.

XXXXXX

Rebecca was about to leave the Borrow when Hermione stopped her and asked if they could talk for a minute. After she said sure Hermione led her outside and towards the garden.

"You want to talk about Harry right?"

"I want to apologize to him for this morning. I don't want to wait until I see him on the train."

"Hermione, you won't see him on the train. He can't go back to Hogwarts even if he wanted to. He plead guilty at the trial this morning and they gave him a permanent expulsion."

"But why would he do that? The law says that he's allowed to use magic to defend himself, they can't expel him for that."

"He did it because he wants to leave the magical world."

"Harry can't leave the magical world; he's a wizard he needs to go to Hogwarts to learn how to use his magic."

"Hermione, take a moment and try to look at this from his point of view. What has magic done _for_ him? What has magic done _to_ him? Then tell me how the scales fall. He's decided that the scales go against the magic. What do you think?"

"So he's decided to just quit and leave? That doesn't sound like Harry."

"It's not Harry; you're looking at it from your point of view. Harry's life was horrible growing up, and then at eleven he finds out about another world and sees another chance so he took it. Do you consider it just quitting and leaving because he chose to go to Hogwarts?"

"Of course not, he's a wizard and needed to learn magic."

"Again, your point of view. If I had to guess I'd say that your parents didn't even spank you once, did they?"

Hermione looked at her like she was some sort of monster. "No, they didn't. Why would they?"

"Harry didn't get spanked either, he was beaten. I've seen his scars and old broken bones and can tell you with in a year or two of when he got them. When he got that letter he probably saw it as a way to escape so he took it. Since then he's had not only all of the crap that has happened in the magical world but he's also forced to go back to those relatives every summer so he's getting the worst of both lives so far. Then with every thing that happened last year everyone completely ignores him. Tonks told me that she was told that he was someone who was closed off and didn't discuss his feelings." Hermione nodded. "When I asked him about it and why he had changed, he said that you were the one who always told him he should talk to someone and this summer he figured out that holding everything in was only hurting him. He decided to take your advice." She paused for a moment seeing tears running down Hermione's cheeks. "I'm not saying this to be cruel to you, I'm just trying to get you to see it the way he does. He sees it as three complete strangers being the only ones who cared about him at all. When I examined him that first night I found that one more punch to his left side would more than likely have killed him, he was barely holding on as it was. That was the reward he got for saving his cousin from dementors. He sees that a wizard killed his parents and another wizard not only put him with those relatives but forces him to stay there. Tack on everything that happened this morning and tell me what you would be thinking and what you would do?"

"But we were told not to write to him, he just needed time to adjust."

"I was told what his last letter said, if he had received that letter from any of the people that he sent it to what would he have done?"

"He…he would have tried to come get us." Hermione was openly crying now.

"Do you see why he would feel the way he does, and why he wants to start over somewhere else?"

Hermione could only nod and Rebecca put her hand on her shoulder. "Don't beat yourself up over this, you made a mistake. I doubt if it was your first and I'm pretty sure it won't be your last. Take some of your own advice and talk to someone. Do you have someone you can talk to?"

She nodded again. "My mother."

"Do you have a way to get to her?"

"Mr. Weasley will take me, it's probably better if I leave for a while anyway. He and Bill are really mad at their family right now."

"Yeah, I had to put up wards to silence the yelling coming into Ginny's room while we were talking. Taking you home might give him some time to cool down a little, so why don't you go ask him. I need to be leaving, I'll talk to Harry and see what he says, I want you to prepare yourself for the possibility that he'll say no. It doesn't mean that at some point down the road you won't get the chance to talk to him, but like Mr. Weasley he'll need some time to cool down, ok?"

Hermione said yes they said goodbye and Rebecca left for Tonks'.

XXXXXXXX

Harry was cooking dinner while Rebecca and Tonks were sitting on stools all of them discussing the day that Tonks and Harry had. At dinner the night before they had decided that the two of them would go to Rebecca's house this morning and spend part of the day just wandering the neighborhood so he could see what was where. They had also decided that he needed to get a visit to the constables out of the way. After Rebecca had finished her appointment with Ginny the three of them made their way to the station in Little Whinging where they met with a constable and a lady from child services.

The constable had told them about the interviews with the Dursley's neighbors and how in the process they had to open a different case against Dudley and several of his friends, four of which were going to testify against him. When the neighborhood kids found out who the police were asking about they had started talking about the bullying going on and when the parents heard their children, well they say that an avalanche starts with a small pebble, or in this case a small child. The parents were also surprised to find out that Harry didn't go to St. Brutus', and that there was no record of him going to any other school either.

When Mrs. Collins asked Harry about this he told his only lie in the entire interview. He told them that he wasn't allowed to go to school after he turned eleven, that they were afraid his freakishness would get them into trouble with the schools. They just kept him in the house while school was in session. After hearing him tell them about the rest of his life with the Dursley's they had no problem believing the lie. She had then asked the two ladies to leave and asked Harry about how he felt living with them and if he would want to live with Rebecca permanently. She also asked about Tonks' name, when he told them about her not liking her first name she naturally asked what it was. He said 'I've seen her mad and want no part of that; if you want to risk your limbs you can ask her.' The looks on their faces made him explain that the times he'd seen her mad were on his behalf and that she'd been looking out for him each time, but she really, _really _hated her name and that the only people he knew who could call her by it were her parents.

Before they left the station all of the paperwork for Harry's guardianship had been started and they had been given permission to go ahead with Harry's move to Rebecca's that weekend and they had the names and numbers of a couple of tutors that Mrs. Collins had recommended. Now they were just waiting on Bill and Madam Bones to arrive for dinner with news on how things went in getting the last Horcrux.

Bill arrived first with Fleur on his arm. He joined Harry while the ladies went to the sitting room to talk about whatever they talk about when guys aren't around. Harry was surprised when Bill jumped right in and helped him with the cooking and asked about it.

"Well, being the oldest it seemed that there was always a baby in the house. With seven of us you could probably have guessed that. With Mum always having her time divided between the house work and the baby's she needed help so Charlie, Percy and I learned our way around the kitchen when we were young. Of course when the twins were old enough to learn is when the kitchen became off limits to the kids. It took us a week to clean up after that first cooking lesson. Not even magic could get all of the potatoes out of every nook and cranny. Before that she was determined that all of us would be able to take care of ourselves properly when we got older. After that she was determined that she needed to marry off the twins and Ron before they graduated or they would starve to death."

Harry laughed. "That must be why it looks like she protects her kitchen with a passion, I know I wouldn't let that pair near my food."

"True, but Mum wasn't always like she is now. She used to give all of us more freedom and wasn't nearly as protective. That seemed to start after Charlie and I started working. You know Charlie's job is dangerous, and mine is just as bad if not worse. I've seen several friends seriously injured because they let their attention wander. Mum doesn't like either of our jobs and seems determined that the rest of them are going to be ministry workers like Dad and Percy, as long as they're safe jobs. No Aurors for this family. I just hope that the twins don't get jobs there, the whole place would be rubble before the end of their first week."

"I don't think you have to worry about the ministry, Diagon Alley on the other hand might be in trouble."

Bill turned to him. "What do you know? Those two have been buying things that they shouldn't be able to afford to create their jokes. Do you know where they got the money?" Harry started to look nervous. "You do know something. Dad has been grilling me because he thinks the money came from me, so start spilling."

"Uhm, promise not to let your Mum know?"

"That depends on where the money came from."

Harry looked down and took a deep breath. "Igavethemthemoney."

"What?"

"I gave them the money. It's the winnings from the Tournament, I didn't want it and they'll probably be brilliant at a joke shop."

Bill started laughing. "Remus told me that the twins have a lifetime ban on pranking you because of something huge that you did for them. Now I know just how huge. I have to tell Dad before he starts to think they stole it, but we'll both keep it from Mum as long as possible and try to give you some warning if she finds out. You may want to have plans set up for getting out of the country though."

They had the table set and were just putting the food on when Madam Bones showed up smiling like she'd just had her fondest dream come true.

Once everyone was seated Rebecca spoke. "Ok, what's got you so happy?"

"I just came from the talking with Fleur's father. That man is a logistical genius, thank you for putting me in contact with him."

Fleur smiled. "Papa will be pleased to hear that. He loves his job but enjoys branching out sometimes."

"Well he's sure saved us. He's somehow gotten a hundred Aurors from all over the continent and will have them here on Thursday morning ready for a fight. I promised to let you know that he and your mother will be coming with them. He wants to spend the weekend with you and mentioned something about using these Aurors for a more important mission when they finish the one we have planned. Something about some guy who needs to be tested to find out if he's good enough for his daughter." Bill started choking on his food. "I wouldn't worry too much. I told him that I knew you and felt that a hundred Aurors might not be enough so I volunteered another fifty just to give you a proper challenge as long as he had his help me interview anyone interested in Susan."

While Fleur patted his back to help him Tonks started offering advice on spells for crowd control while Harry swore that dodging was the only way to stay safe and they both agreed that he should start practicing immediately.

Fleur tried to ease his panic. "Non, Papa will not be bad to you if he knows that I am happy. It is Mama that you will worry about; she brings out the wedding plans after the first date." This only increased his panicked look. "Mama feels that if you don not run you may be worth getting to know better."

Amelia smiled. "Oh I'm definitely going to enjoy meeting them. I'll probably need to take notes."

Bill got himself under control enough to change the subject. "So you'll be ready to go on Thursday?"

"Yes, I've already talked to Slipknife; he's going to go over everything with you in the morning. He wants Ginny to come in Thursday morning for her ritual and then have Harry there at two in the afternoon. They want to do his ritual at the same time as they do it on the others. We'll attack after that with a hundred sixty five Aurors; I'm meeting him that morning and again at noon to make sure of his location."

Harry asked. "I thought the others were just going to be destroyed. Why are we saving them?"

It was Bill who answered. "The locket that I found belonged to Slytherin, the Ring has a stone in it that is called the resurrection stone, and the goblins say that it can bring the dead back part way. It's part of a fairy tale that parents tell their children. The goblet belonged to Helga Hufflpuff and the tiara that we collected today was Rowena Ravenclaw's. It seems that Voldemort has a fixation with the founders."

Tonks noticed something. "You said his name."

"I figured that if Harry could say it without going into convulsions then I should be able to also. I've had to practice quite a bit though, old habits and all that. Anyway the goblins have promoted me because I brought them in on this. When I was granted my transfer I figured that my career was pretty much over, they weren't happy with it because of the amount of treasure I've been able to get to in the field. As odd as it sounds I seem to owe my job to Voldemort and his fixation, not to mention you guys for thinking of me when you found out about Harry's scar. So thank you all, I owe you."

"You're the one who's getting this thing out of my head; I think we can at least call it even if I don't owe you. How are you going to coordinate the attack?"

"Slipknife assured me that we would be able to hear his scream when it happened. I'm supposed to warn you that it will be extremely painful for you, but you should take pleasure that your enemy will feel every bit of your pain and also all of his own as his soul is destroyed. I hope to never see a smiling goblin again, it looked like he was about to eat me, but he was taking a lot of pride in the fact that they were going to inflict so much pain on You Know Who."

The rest of the meal passed with everyone being told what had happened that day with Harry and the ladies and about their plans for his move that weekend. Before everyone said good night Harry found some parchment and wrote something out before giving it to Bill.

"I thought this might help you with the parents this weekend."

Bill looked at it and found a beef bourguignon recipe. Smiling he said. "Thanks this might just keep me alive." Then everyone left for the night.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I still don't own anything but thank you for thinking I do, it gives me hope for the future.

A/N: Sorry I haven't updated for a while. I had some family business that took a bit of time. I'm back and hopefully can keep going with out too much interruption.

Chapter 10

Amelia Bones was beyond pissed as she walked back to her office. She finally gets the old man out of the infirmary and the only answer he would give was that it was Harry's destiny to face Voldemort and die, that Voldemort couldn't be killed until Harry was dead and he could only die by the Dark Lords hand regardless of what Mr. Weasley said. When asked about Ginny Weasley he insisted that there was no oath and that even if there was then it was Mr. Weasley's fault for the whole misunderstanding.

The Wizengamot wasn't being any help either. They had told her that she could hold him for five days but if she couldn't bring him to trial by the end of the week she would have to let him go. They even told her that she couldn't use veritaserum to question him until the trial, and then only if the evidence supported the use. The first time that they give a damn about evidence and it has to be with this case. Now she had to figure out who could prosecute the case. The time frame wasn't a big deal because of all the evidence and the fact that they had him on record saying Harry had to die. The problem was finding someone that wasn't a Dumbledore worshiper. Normally she would have done it herself but with everything that she was coordinating with the goblins she just didn't have the time.

Everyone in the vicinity of Madam Bones at that time seemed to find someplace else that they needed to be. A slow evil looking smile started forming on her face. The goblins, they had enough lawyers to be able to spare one or two. Since this was Dumbledore she would have no problem proving that it was the only way to avoid a conflict of interest, almost the entire ministry went to Hogwarts under him in some fashion, so the ministry would pick up the tab. Madam Bones changed direction and headed to the atrium.

XXXXXXXX

Tonks and Harry were just leaving the clinic that Rebecca worked in after being introduced to some of her coworkers. They had decided to spend another day just wondering the neighborhood he would call home after this weekend, and both of them were enjoying another day with nothing to do but relax. Tonks had been joking that to make his move last as long as hers had they would have to take his things over on piece at a time.

"Yeah right, you just want a reason to wave those boxers you got me around again. I swear those things are so bright if you had them out at night, planes would use them as a landing marker."

"Oh come on, you'd look good in them. And you know I like pink." She gave him a wink and laughed as he rolled his eyes.

"HARRY" A voice they both recognized came from behind them. Harry turned around just in time to be hit by a redheaded missile.

"Ginny, what are you doing here? We left the clinic so we wouldn't run into you today."

It was another voice that answered "She wanted to come a little early to get out of the house. Things have been a little intense there since Monday."

Harry ignored Remus "Hey Gin, how about you show up about an hour early on Friday, we can grab a late lunch before your appointment. We won't have to worry about you know what."

"Sure, do you want to meet here or someplace else?"

"Here will work. Tonks and I are exploring the area we can try to find someplace that might have some good food. But for now why don't we separate, I don't want to risk hurting you. I think Rebecca is still fee at the moment so she should be able to work you in a little early."

Remus spoke again "Harry could we talk while Ginny's with Rebecca?"

Harry looked at Tonks for a moment.

"Your choice, but you know I'm here."

He nodded and turned back to his old professor and when he spoke his voice held no emotion. "There's a small café a block over, we can check out the food." He looked back at Ginny and the emotion returned along with his smile "See you Friday, one o'clock, ok?"

"Sure, see you." She turned and went into the clinic as Harry and Tonks went the opposite direction leaving Remus standing alone.

"You know he's going to try to talk you into seeing Sirius don't you?" Tonks asked

"Yeah, but it's not going to happen, I'm not ready yet. If I don't talk to him now he'll keep trying to see me and I'll just lose my temper."

They walked the rest of the way to the café in silence. Once inside they ordered three teas and some biscuits and sat at a booth in the back of the almost empty room. Harry took a bite of a biscuit and gagged, he stared at it for a moment before looking at Tonks.

"Don't eat these, you might not survive."

"Oh come on, they may not be yours but they can't be that bad." She took a bite. Harry started laughing at the look on her face as she grabbed a napkin to spit it back out. "I may need to go back and see Rebecca after that."

Harry waved over their waitress. She was a blonde about his age and a little shorter than him.

"Can I ask who makes your biscuits?"

"We buy them, why?"

Tonks spoke "Because you're being robbed, can't your cook make some that are better than this, I don't mean to offend you but these could be considered attempted murder."

The blonde hung her head slightly "I know they're horrible but my Uncle makes ones that are worse than these. He's a good cook for most things but baking is beyond him and he can't hire a baker for what he's willing to pay."

Harry saw Remus walk in and turned back to the waitress "We have to talk to this guy coming in but when we're done could we talk to you? I may be able to help out."

She smiled "Sure, it's not like I'm real busy right now." She waved a hand around the practically empty room and then walked away as Remus sat.

"Don't eat the biscuits." Tonks told him as a way of greeting.

They sat in silence for a few moments before Harry finally said in his emotionless voice "You wanted to talk to me, this isn't talking."

"Harry, everyone is sorry about what happened, and after what we all saw on Monday and heard about what happened at the hearing, we're worried about you." Harry just looked at him not saying anything. "Hermione is worried that she's ruined your friendship and Sirius would really like to see you. They want to apologize to you in person."

Harry took a breath trying to keep his anger in control. "I have my reasons for what I did at the hearing. As for what all of you saw, I was kidnapped, accused of some things, found out that people were trying to kill Ginny, and told that the purpose of the Order was to set me up for being killed. I think that might excuse my behavior as justified. If you people want me dead then kill me yourself, I'm tired of being thrown in front of Voldemort for some old mans twisted pleasure."

Remus paled "None of us want you dead Harry, we had to hold Sirius back because he was going to kill Dumbledore."

"So you're saying that because someone has finally shown some interest in my health I should be happy about it. You're a little late in worrying about me. I needed someone to talk to a couple of weeks ago; I needed my friends and my godfather. I got one letter basically telling me that I was on my own. I had three people I didn't know take the time to help me just because I needed it, not because some old man told them that they should. Two of them were risking their jobs. I would have jumped into hell for any of you and you know it. I have to rely on strangers to get half as much consideration. What is that supposed to tell me about my friendships? You and Sirius were my Dad's best friends, but you don't seem to give a damn what happens to his son unless it's convenient for you. Sirius has an excuse for not coming to see me, but we've written to each other since I met him. Don't give me this crap about being told that you weren't allowed to write because it would have put me and the Order at risk. Everyone knows Cedric died that night, how could talking about it put anyone at risk? How is putting my damned nightmare in writing going to compromise Dumbledore's plan for me to die?" Harry was growling by the end and Tonks was rubbing his back.

Remus was looking sick by the time Harry was finished. He swallowed "All I can do is say I'm sorry, and I am." He waited for a moment noticing Tonks arm go around Harry and pull him into a half hug. "Can I ask what's going on between you two?"

Harry's head shot up and his voice was colder than either of them had ever heard. "You don't have the right to ask anything about my life."

"I'm only asking because I do care about you and she's…"

"If you finish that sentence you had better use every bit of that strength because I'm coming at you. You will not disrespect either Tonks or Rebecca or you will find me doing my best to kill you. If either of them is ever attacked again I will come after every one of you and worry about who did it afterwards. You people are so bent on controlling me so that I can be killed. I'll show you what it's really like for you to lose control of me. I have two people who everyone now knows are trying to kill me and I will ignore them until all of the rest of you are dead. Do you hear me?"

Remus had no color left in his face and could only stare at this person in front of him. He had said it himself and was willing to prove that he would go through hell for those he cared about. Who those people were was the only thing that had changed.

"I asked you a question, your hearing is supposed to be superior so I think you heard it."

Remus just looked at him for a moment more before nodding and getting up. He turned back about to say something but the glare on both of their faces made him reconsider so he just walked out.

"Harry, would you like to sit down? You might be more comfortable."

Harry looked at her for a moment still breathing hard; he slowly started to calm down enough to notice that he was standing. He sat down and Tonks pulled him into a hug and just held him for a moment.

"You were saying something about getting this over with so you wouldn't lose your temper?"

Harry chuckled "Yeah, it worked too. If we had played that game of him asking to talk and me saying no I would have gotten mad eventually." He leaned back and gave her a kiss on the cheek "Thanks."

Before Tonks could say anything two cups of tea slid in front of them "My Uncle's special blend, he says it will calm an angry rhinoceros. I don't know who would be dumb enough to try to get one to drink it, but he swears by it." The blonde waitress said with a grin.

"It might be fun to watch though, what do you say Harry want to give it a try? I bet I can get Lupin to come back and get you slightly miffed again, I think you could take the rhino then." She had a huge grin.

"You really don't like rhino's, do you? I'm Lisa by the way."

"I'm Tonks and calm cool and collected over here is Harry."

Harry had his face in his hands and gave a mumbled hi.

"He was such a conversationalist a moment ago, what happened? It's the biscuits isn't it? I told my Uncle they would ruin my reputation." Her grin was almost as large as Tonks.

Harry pulled his hands away "Sorry about that, I kind of lose my temper at certain things." He took a sip of the tea and stared at it. "What's in this? It's great."

"It's a family secret so you'd have to marry into the family to get it. Sounds like you have your hands full at the moment though, defending the honor of two women at once. And they say chivalry is dead."

Tonks laughed "It's not dead; it just decided to gather together in one person. Harry's the lucky one. And I know of at least one more he defends on a regular basis, he just had an opening too. Want the spot? You could do a lot worse than having Harry defending you."

"I don't know it sounds like he's pretty busy right now. Lets see two people out to kill you, one with a group of people helping him, having to go after more people to kill them for attacking Tonks and a Rebecca, apparently saving a Ginny while being kidnapped, and I do believe that there was a bit about a hearing thrown in for good measure. Are you sure he can work me into his schedule?" She was smiling until she saw the look on Harry's face. She looked over at Tonks who was now the one that had their face in their hands.

"I'm sorry Tonks; I should have kept my mouth shut. I should have met him someplace less public, I screwed up. I'll tell Madam Bones about it and that it wasn't your fault, you won't get into trouble for this. She's seen my temper she'll understand there was nothing you could do."

"Oh god, you mean that it was all true? Jesus, you can't be any older than I am how come you have all of this happening?" Harry just kept looking at Tonks as she shook her head with it still in her hands. "Jesus, what did I step into?" Lisa said quietly.

A rather large man stepped up to the table. "I think that this might be a conversation better left for someplace more private. My office is in back if you'd like." He was holding his arm up to point the way, the look on his face told them that this was not a suggestion.

Lisa got up and walked the couple of feet to the kitchen door and waited. Tonks looked around the room and saw that nobody else was close to their table so she nodded to Harry. He slowly stood and followed Lisa to a small office in the back of the café. Once they were all inside Tonks whispered to Harry.

"Obliviate"

Harry started shaking his head "I'm not going to be part of that Tonks. You know I don't like that stuff, it's not going to happen here."

"Harry, its standard procedure."

"No, I'm the one that screwed up not them, I should be the one punished. I can't let that happen to them because I can't keep my temper and mouth in line. Please Tonks don't do this."

Tonks sighed "Madam Bones is going to hang me. We have to tell them something so they know to keep quiet about this."

Lisa decided to pipe in "What are you, secret agents or something? Killing the bad guys and saving the world."

Harry paled as Tonks glared at him "Tonks please no, it's my mess and I'll handle Bones."

"You had better because I'm not sitting on that damned desk alone even if I have to tie you to it." She looked back at the man and girl. "I assume you're her Uncle?"

The man nodded "Name's Conner, could you just tell me how deep we're in this please?"

"Deep. Why don't you both sit down and I'll try to tell you why you need to keep quiet."

Lisa asked in a quiet voice "Are you really secret agents?"

Tonks glared at Harry again so he spoke. "Why don't I take it, you look like you could use some of that tea."

"Give it a go."

Harry took a seat in front them "She can't tell you who she works for and you wouldn't believe her if she did. Right now she's my protection, there's a…terrorist who doesn't like the fact that I'm breathing and keeps trying to make me stop. The people she works for are of the same opinion that I am. We'd rather it was him that was no longer breathing and they're trying to make it happen." He took a breath and looked at Tonks "This is harder than I thought."

"It might help if you told the truth. A terrorist is after you? Terrorists don't try killing just a boy they try to kill lots of people." Lisa said.

Tonks stepped forward, anger evident in her face. "How's this for the truth. Everything he said is the truth, he's just trying to gloss it over. You want to know how deep you are. You're lucky because you can walk away from it if you can keep quiet; Harry is stuck and has been since he was a year old. This man killed his parents and tried to kill him. We don't know what happened but he left that place wishing he'd never shown up in the first place and Harry came away with that scar on his forehead and the memory of his mother being killed. Four years ago this guy and his cronies start showing up again, and guess who the number one target is. Harry. He does want to kill hundreds of thousands but wants Harry the most. Harry killed…one of his best and stopped his plans, almost dieing in the process. He killed another of his best saving a girl they were trying to murder. They both almost died but Harry got her out. The last time Harry had to face him a friend of his was killed and Harry almost died again. To top all of this off we find out that one of our top people has been dangling Harry as bait and hoping he would be killed this whole damned time. That guy that was out there with us is part of his group, not to mention that Harry's best friends and only links to his parents are also part of the group. Even though we don't think they knew his plans we're having a little trouble trusting them at the moment. Now how deep do you think you're in compared to Harry?" She was breathing hard and glaring. Harry put a hand on her shoulder and she spun on him. Seeing tears building in his eyes she pulled him into a hug. "Oh shite, Harry I'm sorry. I lost it a bit."

"It's ok, just a little hard when it's all laid out like that."

Tonks looked over at Conner and his niece who had terrified expressions on their faces "I'm sorry, it's been a long couple of weeks." She took a deep breath "Harry wants a normal life and there's a couple of us who are going to make sure it happens. If everything goes right he'll be free by the end of the day tomorrow. He's moving into the neighborhood this weekend with his new guardian who works at the clinic. He just wants a life he can actually live."

Conner asked "The Rebecca you were talking about earlier is Rebecca Monroe?" Tonks nodded. "I know her, she found my wife's cancer early, and she's the reason why my wife is still here. We visit her often for check ups to make sure it doesn't come back. She's a fine woman, and I know she wouldn't bring trouble down on us so I have to believe that the lad is all right. We'll keep this to ourselves, my wife is out front right now, but she'll keep quiet too."

Harry pulled back from Tonks and looked at the man "Thank you. I'm sorry I brought this on you."

"It's all right lad, I've had my touch of temper and know how things can get out of control when it happens." He looked thoughtful for a second "Lisa said you might be able to help with our biscuit problem, how so?"

Harry looked sheepish "I thought I could bake them for you. But I understand if you don't want me in here again."

Tonks laughed "I thought you were going to sell them your recipe or something, I didn't know you were looking for a job."

"Just something part time in the mornings so I can get tutors for the afternoon is all."

Lisa started to look less frightened "You bake biscuits?"

"Harry bakes the best biscuits; he's pretty good at dinners too. I'm going to miss having him at my place; I haven't ever eaten so well."

"Lad, how old are you?"

"Fifteen at the end of the month sir."

"That could be a problem; you have to be sixteen to work in a kitchen."

Seeing the hope start to go out of his eyes Tonks said "Madam Bones could take care of that, she can make your next birthday your sixteenth with a few pieces of parchment."

"Really, do you think she would?"

"If she doesn't hang both of us for all of this I don't see why not. She already owes you big for everything you've given her the last two weeks, after tomorrow you can probably ask to live in the palace and she'd make it happen."

Harry looked at Conner "Would that be acceptable sir?"

"Whoa, slow down there, I haven't even tasted them yet. Can you bring some by for me to sample?"

"How about five dozen tomorrow about twelve would that work sir?"

He laughed "That should do lad, tomorrow at twelve it is. We can talk more after that and see about these papers."

Harry and Tonks apologized once more and said goodbye as they left. Conner noticed that Lisa stared after them for a few moments after they were gone. "What're you thinking lass?"

"He's only fourteen."

"What's wrong with that? You just turned fifteen yourself."

"But he's been through all of that, he's killed people Uncle. Why?"

"Ahh lass" he pulled her into a hug "The world sometimes makes people grow up too early. When my dad went off to war there were lads who were lying about their age so they could join up early to defend the Isle. Some times the young are the ones called to do the job; it's just the way life can be."

She looked up into his eyes "Do you think he's safe to be around, I mean with what they said about him killing people and everything else?"

Taylor sighed "Have a seat lass. You're seeing it from the wrong direction. He didn't kill, he saved. That lad was put out there for someone to kill and from what the lass said he ended up saving people instead. Yes he's had to take a couple of lives to do it, but those were people who were out to kill others. You read about what's going on in the world in school, a terrorist's plans are almost always to strike at average people. They usually use themselves as bombs to do it. The lady said he stopped this person's plans, what if those plans were the average terrorist plans? He may have targeted Picadilly and killed and injured hundreds. That's what the lad has been up against and from the sounds of it he's been on his own for most of it. You heard what he told that man at his booth about this Cedric dieing and his nightmares about it. My guess is that he's the friend who was killed and if he's having nightmares about it he either saw it happen or he feels responsible, maybe both. That's someone who doesn't kill people, he saves them by doing what he has too and he's been doing it since he was a very young lad." He chuckled "With everything he's done and been through what's he want to do when he's free from it all? He wants to make biscuits." She smiled "Lass, the lad wants peace in his life. From what we've heard he's earned some. Miss Secret Job strikes me as the type to keep that little promise to make sure he gets it. You can see she cares for the lad and you heard clearly that he'd protect her to the point of going after the ones he feels are responsible for harming her. That man had the look of someone who's seen a lot in this world and he took the lad to heart when Harry made that promise to him. You could do a lot worse than having someone like that as a friend. I think that we'll be plenty safe if he's around, ok?"

"All right Uncle." She smiled "He was kind of cute, did you see those eyes?" Taylor groaned.

XXXX

As they walked back to the clinic Harry glanced at Tonks "You do a pretty good angry act you know."

She stopped "How did you know?"

He laughed "Don't worry the only reason I spotted it is because your hair didn't change to red. It had to be an act."

"So what, the tears were an act too?"

"No, I wish I could say they were, but they were real. It's ok I'm fine with what you did and know why you did it. It made them believe and they'll keep quiet about everything because of it. Hearing it said so plainly was a little hard and it kind of hit me that that's my life in a nutshell, almost fifteen years and all I have to show for it is a bunch of scars and some busted friendships." He nudged her "Your hug made me realize that in the last two weeks things have changed for the better. And I have a woman who decided to help me regardless of what others and even I said to thank for it all." He pulled her into another hug "Thank you."

She gave him a kiss on the cheek "Anytime Hero."

They started walking again and she asked "So does this mean you're going to model those boxers for me?"


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't even know JKR. I do however know people with at least one of those initials.

Chapter 11

Harry was putting the last of the biscuits into a box when Tonks walked into the kitchen.

"It's five a.m. what are you doing?"

"I couldn't sleep."

"Want to talk about it?"

Harry looked at his feet for a few moments "Rebecca is going to be with Ginny today isn't she?"

"She said she would, why?"

"Madam Bones said that this was going to be really painful and I think it will be almost as bad for Gin. I just want to make sure Rebecca will be there to help."

"Yeah she'll be there; she won't let anything happen to Ginny." She watched him for a moment "That's not what's got you up though is it?"

He slowly shook his head "I'm wondering what's going to make it all disappear."

"Make all of what disappear?"

He took a breath "The happiness. Every time I have something happening that makes me happy it gets taken away by something really bad. I've never been happier so what ever is coming to take it away is going to be the worst yet. I just wonder what it is."

Tonks pulled him into a hug and just held him for a moment. "Have a seat; I'll get us some tea."

After they had tea she held his hand "I'm not going to tell you nothing bad is going to happen, after watching your memories I know I wouldn't believe it if I were you. But you have people who are going to be there with you no matter what. Bill is so taken with you that I think he hopes you and Ginny will get together so he can call you his brother. I probably shouldn't tell you this but Rebecca is wondering if she should ask you if you want to call her Mum and if you'd be interested in adoption." A smile lit Harry's face making Tonks laugh "Yeah that's the reaction I told her she'd get, you seem to have made an impact on her. Madam Bones will put every Auror she can find behind you for whatever happens. And you know I'm not going anywhere."

She gave his hand a squeeze "Dumble's trial is tomorrow, they have Bill and three Aurors who all heard him say he wanted you dead testifying, so she'll be able to get the veritaserum into him. Once he takes it he's going to go away for at least twenty years and at his age he'll probably last less than half of that in Azkaban. Today you're going to get rid of that thing in you. Amelia is going to make sure that whatever's left of snake face is good and dead and she has twenty Aurors who are going to sweep the ministry at the same time you're going through the ritual. You're going to get rid of those nasty biscuits today and save countless lives in the process. That's the three things that are the biggest threats to your life gone. The only things left are normal everyday things that everyone has to put up with, and none of them is life threatening." She smiled "Unless you piss off a girl you should be able to live a good long life."

Harry laughed "I thought I was going to get hit when Lisa went off on me about telling the truth yesterday." His eyes got wide "Do you think we can get Dumbledore to have to eat some of those things as part of his sentence?"

Tonks started laughing "I don't think even Snaky is that cruel. Although we might be able to get a guard at Azkaban to slip him one or two, that'll teach the old bastard to mess with us." She pulled him into another hug "Feel a little better?"

"Yeah, a lot better. Thanks."

"No problem. So do you think you can whip up a breakfast for us?"

"I might have something planned." He got up and pulled a couple of bowls out of the refrigerator. "How does strawberry topped waffles sound?"

"I am going to miss this. I hope Rebecca knows she's getting two for the price of one with you."

Harry laughed "She asked me if I thought her office at the house would make a good bedroom or if she needed to start looking for a three bedroom. She's already picked out which chair is going to be yours at the table."

Tonks grinned "You have to love a person who thinks ahead."

They chatted while they ate and washed the dishes. Once everything was done She asked "I noticed that the café opens at seven do you want to show up early with the goodies? I really don't fancy sitting around waiting today."

"It's already driving me nuts. I think I would prefer them to have just sprung this on me. Yeah let's go, we can figure out what to do with the rest of the morning while having some tea. We should warn them that Madam Bones will be stopping by tomorrow to talk to them, I don't think they would want to be surprised by that."

They went to get ready for the day then left for the alley near the clinic and walked the rest of the way to the café at a little after seven and took the same booth as the day before.

Lisa walked up with a smile "I think your watch is broken, it's a bit before twelve."

Harry laughed and held up his watch "It got water logged last year; it wasn't made for the depth I had to swim to. I only wear it out of habit. We thought we'd get here early so you would have some biscuits to give to your customers today and see what they think."

"Do I even want to know what you were doing swimming that deep?"

Tonks smiled "Saving a girl actually. We can't tell you what happened but Harry here seems to have a habit of rescuing pretty girls. What are you up to, three so far?"

Harry blushed "Yeah, it wasn't that big a deal, I found out she wasn't in any real danger afterwards."

"Same information as when you made the decision Harry."

"What's that mean?" Lisa asked.

"It means that when you look back on choices you've made you have to look at it using the same information you had when you made them, not the information you have after everything is done and over with. If you would have had all of that information at the time you would have made a different decision so it doesn't do you any good to look at it that way. It just makes you torture yourself about not doing the right thing."

Lisa looked thoughtful for a minute "I never thought about it like that before. So if I made a bad choice but with what I knew at the time it looked to be the right one, I shouldn't beat myself up for it when I get new information afterwards. Is that about right?"

Tonks was smiling "That's it exactly. Why don't you have a seat?"

She looked at Harry and asked as she sat "So are you regretting what you did when you saved her or something else?"

"I don't regret any of it, I just felt a little foolish when I found out that it was…well let just say in the end I had new information that should have been obvious in the beginning and it made me feel a little foolish."

"Fleur will be happy to know you don't regret it. Especially the way she greeted you the other day."

"Ah, so the girls name is Fleur. Now we're getting somewhere."

Harry smiled "No, Fleur's her older sister, Gabriel is the name of the girl."

Lisa grinned "So who are the other girls?"

Tonks answered with her own grin "You already heard Ginny's name and the other one is Hermione." She saw Harry cringe a bit and chose not to say anything.

Lisa asked "So you've saved three girls, don't save boys or something?" The moment she said it she regretted it remembering the conversation the day before "Crap, I'm sorry Harry. I forgot."

Harry smiled a little "Its ok Lisa, I've been shown and told that there was nothing I could have done different. I'm learning not to blame myself for it slowly. And I have saved one guy; twice; in one night. Damn I never thought of it that way before. That bastard wouldn't even..." Harry looked down and gave a cough "Sorry; didn't mean to do that. Anyway I have saved a guy before."

Tonks took his hand "Its ok Harry, things will work out one way or another."

Lisa waited a moment before speaking again. "Alright, we know you save people, stop the bad guys and bake biscuits. Speaking of which are those them in the box?"

Harry nodded and opened it offering her one and waited.

Lisa took a small nibble and her eyes widened before she took a bigger bite. "Damn, these are good. Do you do anything half arsed?"

Harry smiled and let out the breath he didn't even know he was holding "Yeah, homework."

"Really, what's your favorite subject?"

Harry paled and looked at Tonks who answered for him "Harry didn't go to a normal school which is why he needs the tutors. He's trying to catch up on four years of normal education."

"What sort of school did you go to?"

"He can't tell you. Unfortunately there's a lot of his life that he can't talk about. We can tell you about the last four years in very broad detail but nothing really specific. Sorry."

"Are you sure you're not just acting out some action movie plot? I mean the saving the pretty girl thing, the beautiful protector and not being able to talk about your past bit. It sounds like a really good action movie."

Tonks laughed "Thank you. Nobody would believe it if it was, it's too far fetched to be anything but real. Not to mention Harry saw his first movie only a few days ago."

"Now I know your joking. You said the last four years were a secret, what about the rest of your life? You had to have seen a movie before now."

He shook his head "I grew up with relatives who are going to be arrested when they get back from holiday. Tonks, her boss and Rebecca saved me after a really bad beating from my uncle last week. I can't talk about the last four years but I choose not to talk about the years before that. They weren't really good years."

"I'm sorry."

Harry gave her a half smile "You couldn't know about it. I guess it's not really easy to get to know someone like me, you kind of have to guess at everything don't you?"

She grinned "Kind of makes it more fun this way."

Tonks laughed "There you go Harry, playing hard to get to know is the way to get the girls interested. You should have them lining up by the end of next week."

He laughed "Yeah right, I bet they only want me for my cooking. Look at Lisa here, she's on her seventh biscuit and probable doesn't even know it." They both laughed again at the look on her face as she looked at the one in her hand.

Lisa cleared her throat "Sorry."

"Don't be, I'm glad you like them. Do you think your uncle will?"

"Only one way to find out, all we really have to do is tell him that we know he heard everything and he can come out now." She grinned as he walked out of the kitchen.

He cleared his throat. "Uhm, everything that's said in this booth is kind of projected into the kitchen for some reason. That's how we ended up in trouble in the first place."

Tonks shook her head looking gravely at Harry "Should we tell him how much trouble?"

Harry also had a serious expression. "I thought it would be a good idea, but if Madam Bones found out we warned them we could be the ones she comes after." He shivered.

Tonks eyes widened "I didn't think of that. She loves you so she'll probably only do a number five on you. Me, I just know I'd get the sixteen. I can't take that one again Harry, not after the last one."

"I don't think she'd do that to you again. Maybe it will only be the twelve, that one wasn't that bad. I only took two months to recover from it."

"Yeah but everyone knows you heal quick, I'd take at least three and more than likely four months after that. No, if it's anything more than a nine I don't think I'll be able to keep going. That last fifteen almost ended it all for me. I can't live like that anymore; those were the longest six months of my life. It took four of them for me to move my fingers again."

"True but you could get lucky and get another seven. You really do like that hair color after all. You said the pain might have been worth it. Who knows it could get the carpet to finally match the drapes."

Tonks looked shocked "You peeked."

Harry lost it and started laughing which caused Tonks to follow as a pale Lisa and Conner looked between the two of them.

"I win, you lost it first. Now you owe me another date, this time a real one. That last one doesn't count, and don't think your sleeping with me again."

"Don't worry, I could barely move the next morning."

"We just have to try different positions is all. You'll get the hang of it after a few times. It's just going to take more than last time to get you into that bed."

"Well that's not hard, last time just took me being there. I still think it was rude of you to run out of there like that without even a kiss though. I felt used."

Tonks started laughing and Harry smiled "Even again, thank you, thank you very much."

Conner cleared his throat again "Are the two of you finished yet?'

"Sorry sir, I didn't really joke around a lot before I met Tonks. Now it just sort of starts out of nothing and takes a life of its own." He scooted over and made room for the man. "We really do want to tell you that Madam Bones is going to come by and talk to you. She's a really good person who I owe my life to, literally. She'll just ask you a few questions and talk to you for a bit, nothing serious that you have to worry about."

Tonks added "Just don't piss her off, which would end badly."

Harry nodded "That's not a joke; she can be really inventive when she's pissed. I've started calling them Corrective Attitude Adjusters or CAA's for short." He looked at Conner "You might have heard a few; I've found that any really pissed off woman can come up with them."

Conner smiled "I think I know what you're talking about lad. My wife can invent some pretty bad forms of punishment herself when she's got the heat rising."

Harry grinned "You should know that they get worse when they're in a pack. Rebecca, Tonks and Madam Bones came up with some that should be physically impossible even with dismemberment. When I pointed that out they just glared and said 'watch us' I left the room for my own safety."

Conner laughed "A smart lad knows when to run."

Tonks spoke up "He fights more often than running though."

Both the guys laughed and Conner added with Harry nodding "The only battle that is truly one to run from is with a really angry woman. That's the only one you can't hope to come out of with all body parts in tacked."

Harry added "I've only learned that in the last week, but its one thing I don't plan to forget. You do remember I got Bill out of the way when you and Rebecca were going to help that guy in Bones' office remember his manners? I may not learn everything quickly but I do when it comes to living longer."

Tonks looked at Lisa "It's nice to know that a man can learn something."

Lisa shook her head "I'm still not convinced. I think my Uncle should try the biscuits, and then we'll know for sure."

Conner chuckled "Never argue with a lady who's trying to prove a point lad, it just wastes your time and pisses off the woman." He grabbed a biscuit and took a bite. After a second his eyes widened "Lad I think you have a job, papers be damned. Did you really make these?"

Tonks laughed "He was finishing them at five this morning."

Lisa looked at him "Didn't you sleep last night?"

"Not much, we have a few things happening this afternoon, that and the fact that whenever I've been happy something bad has happened kind of made sleep hard to come by."

This time it was Lisa who reached across the table and took his hand "It can get better Harry, and you have people who are helping you so it will get better."

Harry squeezed her hand "Thanks, that's just what Tonks was telling me."

Tonks was grinning and Conner once again cleared his throat. "Let's get down to business."

XXXXXXXX

Bill and Rebecca each held one of Ginny's hands with Rebecca telling the girl to breathe deeply and let it out slowly. The ritual had been over for about five minutes.

Bill had told her that it would hurt a lot to help her prepare for it. Rebecca had told them that she had a pain potion with her just in case and Bill shook his head.

"This is a goblin ritual," He looked Ginny in the eyes "I know that it's going to be bad for you, but you have to get through the pain on your own. If you use a potion for any of it you'll lose respect with them. This is hard for me to tell you but it will help you with future dealings with goblins. Try not to scream from the pain; the more you can take before you do the more respect they'll have for you. The only other way to get that respect is to find them a lot of treasure."

Ginny had been nodding "Is Harry going to have as much pain?"

Bill looked down "More, a lot more. He'll wish for your pain before he's even half through. He has a whole fragment in him; it will fight the ritual to stay alive." He looked at Rebecca "I'm sorry, I know you care for him but he needs to do this, it's the only way."

"As much as I wish it were other wise, I know there's nothing else that will help him. I just wish there was something I could do to help him."

"You are helping him; you're the one who found all of this. If it wasn't for you he'd never know about the Horcrux until it was too late and Voldemort would be immortal."

"I know, but it doesn't feel like enough. He's had too much pain already and I can't do anything to stop it. I just feel helpless, I really hate that feeling."

Ginny laughed "You'll get used to it around Harry. After I woke up in the Chamber I saw that he was hurt. He just told me it was ok and then started making sure I knew how to get out safely and that I knew none of it was my fault. I found out later that he was dieing when he did all of this. I felt useless in the Chamber as he got us out and then felt it again when I found out how close he came to dieing."

Bill spoke "Not to mention that you're helping him get his life set up. Princess said that he and Tonks were exploring the area around the clinic yesterday, is he going to be working there?"

"No, he's moving in with me this weekend, I'm his magical guardian now and we filed papers for me to be his muggle one as well. He's baking biscuits this morning to take to a café as a sample; he's hoping to get a part time job there. He's already got a couple of tutors who are going to come over next week to talk to him and find out what he's going to need to catch up on his education."

Ginny asked "What does he need to catch up on? I know his grades aren't the best but their not that bad."

Bill took a breath "He's going to be getting a muggle education Princess; he's not going back to Hogwarts." Seeing the question forming he explained "He's had it bad in the magical world, even with Voldemort gone and Dumbledore locked up everyone still knows who he is. They'll just keep at him in the press and people tend to believe what's printed. The only way he'll get a normal life is to get away from the magical world."

Rebecca continued "He wants to keep what friends he has but needs to do this for himself. If he stays in the magical world he'll never have a moment's peace and will end up miserable no matter what he does. In the muggle world he's unknown and people have to get to know him the same way they have to get to know everyone else. They don't have the preconceived image of the hero nutter as he calls it, they don't know his name just because of his scar, they have to ask for it. Do you understand why he wants to do this?"

Ginny nodded "He wants to keep his sanity and won't do it at Hogwarts."

A goblin came in "Follow me" and then turned and walked away without waiting for them.

After a few minutes of walking they entered the same room that the blocking ritual was held in with two very old looking goblins standing by the far wall.

"William of clan Weasley are you here as a student or as support?"

Bill bowed "Curse Master Defthand, I am here as support for my blood sister Ginevra of Clan Weasley. I will be here as a student this afternoon when the ritual is performed on the artifacts and Harry."

"Very well take your place. Female what is your name?"

Rebecca bowed "Rebecca of clan Monroe Curse Master."

"Take your place, Ginevra of Clan Weasley lay in the center of the room."

Ginny did this and the moment her head rested on the floor Defthand started muttering in the guttural language of the goblins. At first she felt a tingling sensation through out her body, and then it started to get worse. After a couple of minutes she wanted to scream but kept her mouth closed and concentrated on not making a sound. As the pain increased she knew she would scream and cry before it was over and gritted her teeth to hold out as long as possible.

Finally she started to break, with one last effort she opened her eyes and glared at the ceiling and growled through her clenched teeth "No more pain Tom. You can't hurt me any more. I win and you lose you bastard. I WIN TOM, GO TO HELL."

Small wispy black threads came out of her chest as she yelled the last words and floated above her for a few seconds then dissipated into the air.

Ginny's breathing was shallow and rapid as Defthand approached. He looked at her for a second before grinning "Shame you have that human form, you would make a good goblin." He turned and walked out of the room with the other one following and Ginny passed out.

When she came to Bill and Rebecca were sitting over her holding her hands.

"You're fine, all of it's gone. Take deep breaths and let them out slowly, it will help with the pain. How do you feel?" Rebecca asked.

"Like I've been at the bottom of a dog pile at a Weasley family reunion, is it over?"

Bill smiled "Yeah Princess it's over now." He chuckled "I may have to stop calling you that. No mere princess could impress the goblins like you did. Believe it or not you just made this family very honored among the goblins. I'm so proud of you Princess." He pulled her into a hug.

They helped her stand and get steady on her feet when she asked "Can I be here for Harry's ritual? He's done so much for me I want to support him for this."

Rebecca answered "Harry would like that. Why don't you go home and soak in a hot bath for a little while before then. It will help your muscles relax some."

Ginny looked at Bill "I'm having lunch with Harry and Tonks tomorrow, can you take me to the clinic before one? Remus didn't look like he had a good talk with Harry and might not want to see him for a while."

"I'm not sure Harry will be in any shape to go out tomorrow."

Ginny snorted "He's Harry, he'll be there and you know it."

A rough laugh echoed in the room "That's good praise from one who has declared victory with their pain."

Bill bowed "Director Ragnok, we are honored by your presence." Ginny and Rebecca both followed Bill's lead and bowed.

"If what Defthand has just told me is true, the honor is mine. Ginevra of Clan Weasley has honored her fathers this day. We will speak your name at tonight's feast with that of William of Clan Weasley for his actions in this business. I look forward to seeing how this Harry handles the ritual this afternoon." With that he turned and left.

Bill stood there with his mouth hanging open before shaking his head and looking at his sister. "You have no idea how big of an honor that is. There's only ever been eight humans who have had there names spoken at a feast. To have both of us mentioned will cause a stir. We need to teach you their customs; you'll need to know them when you come into the bank from now on because they will deal with you more as a goblin than a witch. Mum's going to have a heart attack when I tell her."


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Yes I still don't own it.

A/N: Just a reminder, i can't type in a french accent, so please imagine that the Delacours speak with one. Thanks.

Chapter 12

Harry and Tonks were shown to the same conference room as before and thanked the goblin as he left, getting only a grunt in return. When he opened the door and let Tonks enter they had a surprise.

"Harry!" This time he was hit by a small blonde missile. He looked up and saw Fleur and her parents standing with Ginny and Rebecca, which told him who the girl in his arms was.

"Hello Gabriel, how are you?" he asked with a smile.

"I am good, are you all right?"

"I'm fine. What're all of you doing here? Are you ok Ginny?"

"I'm still a little sore but I'll be alright. Everyone is here to support you."

Fleur spoke next "Oui, we will be with you for the ritual so you are not alone. Bill will be there as a student to learn the ritual, he is the first human who has been granted the honor." Her face was lit up in a smile.

Ginny walked up to him "Harry there's something you need to know before they do it. It hurts like hell, and I didn't have it as bad as you will. You can't show any sign that it's hurting you and you can't have any potions afterwards. You can do this Harry, you can beat him."

"Thanks, I'll do my best. Have they already done the location thing?"

It was Monsieur Delacour who answered "Oui, they did it about two hours ago, you're Madam Bones had a very nasty smile when she left here."

Tonks laughed "I would hate to be Snake face when she gets to him."

"I'm just worried that something will go wrong, I can't get rid of that feeling."

Tonks put a hand on his shoulder "There's nothing we can do about their end of this, just concentrate on getting through your part. Everyone else knows what they have…"

"Follow me" came from the doorway.

They all followed quickly so they wouldn't get left behind. Once they were in the room they saw Bill standing behind the two old goblins. All of the items were laid out in a large circle around an open area in the center of the room. Defthand was again the one who spoke.

"Ginevra of Clan Weasley you are here in support of this one?"

She bowed "I am Curse Master Defthand, Harry of Clan Potter has saved my life and I will support him any way I can."

He nodded "Take your place and have the rest of his support follow you."

She bowed again and motioned for everyone to come with her.

"Harry of Clan Potter you are a vile thing at this time, we will kill what is in you and try to preserve your life. You may still die. Are you ready?"

Harry imitated Ginny and bowed "I am ready Curse Master Defthand."

"Lay in the middle of the artifacts."

He did as the goblin had instructed and waited. He glanced at the goblin who was watching Bill look at his watch.

"Five, four, three, two, one, begin."

The goblin started his muttering and Harry immediately felt pain in his head along with a peculiar sensation. It took a moment for him to realize what it was.

"Shite, its moving." His hand went to his forehead before the second goblin growled.

"Don't move, concentrate on it and keep it still."

Harry focused on the sensation and forcing it to stay where it was in his head. The pain started to build slowly until he was sweating with the effort to concentrate. The objects around him started to shake and a black mist came out of the ring and floated for a moment before it dissipated.

Harry heard screaming in his head and realized it was Voldemort. The screaming became louder when the mist came out of the cup and dissipated.

Harry found himself looking around a strange room as Death Eaters rushed in looking at him in fear. He just kept screaming until the wall exploded inward and hexes started to fill the room. He managed to fight down the pain and stand with his wand in his hand.

Harry groaned out "He's fighting, they attacked too soon. I need to help them."

The old goblin growled again "Concentrate human, make him feel the pain. Attack him like you were a goblin. Do it now."

Ginny's angry voice sounded out "Do it Harry, make him hurt for everything he's done to us. Make the bastard beg."

Harry's brow furrowed as he concentrated past the pain as he saw himself unleash killing curse after killing curse. His eyes found each target until the spotted the target he wanted the most.

"NO! You won't kill her. Not her you son of a…"

XXXXXXXX

Amelia Bones had one hundred sixty five Aurors surrounding Malfoy Manner under concealment just outside the wards. Fifty of them were going to bring the wards down the moment they heard the screams that the goblins assured her would be loud enough. Another twenty five were ready to erect anti apparition and portkey wards, they would stay out of the battle and hold them until it was over. The fifty would join in the attack with the rest.

Her plan was simple, hit the walls where the screaming was coming from with reducto's, if they couldn't tell where it was then hit all the walls with reducto's. Then hit everything that moved inside with stunners at first. If there was any resistance at all they were to switch to more deadly spells immediately and take no chances. She didn't want any loss of life on her side of things, the Death Eaters dieing she could live with. If they wanted to eat death then she would feed it to them.

She looked at her watch "It'll start any time now, be ready." The whispered warning went around the perimeter. It was less than two minutes later when they heard the scream. "NOW!" and she immediately felt the assault on the wards and the anti wards go up.

Within seconds the wards fell "MOVE!"

A barrage of reducto's hit the southeast corner of the manor and eliminated the walls quickly. Spells were being fired at a rapid rate into the dust before it even began to settle. Once it did though she saw something that made her blood run cold. Voldemort was standing up and shielding against the onslaught.

She could see the look of pain on his face but he wasn't letting it affect him. He started to fire spells at the Aurors, all of them killing curses and after only another couple of seconds ten of them lay dead and he was looking at her next. Amelia's hopes were starting to fall.

Suddenly Voldemort screamed again and yelled "Get out of my head. You can't beat me Potter."

"Concentrate on the Death Eaters, the ritual isn't done yet." She hollered to the attackers before seeing a flash of silver out of the corner of her eye. "Stupefy, Incarcerous." The two spells hit Pettigrew as he was trying to get away. She grabbed one of the Aurors. "Whatever else happens make sure that one doesn't wake up but keep him alive I need him." He nodded and hit the rat with two more stunners.

A spell almost hit her in the head; she dodged to the left and saw her attacker. Malfoy had a very angry expression on his face as he fired another killing curse at her. She dodged again and started firing cutting curses at him as fast as she could not letting up for even a breath. The fourth one hit him in the chest and another six landed on him in various spots before he finally hit the ground.

She turned to find another opponent only to see that all of the death eaters were down. Only Voldemort was left conscious.

He had both of his hands gripping the sides of his head screaming "You can't do this, I am Lord Voldemort." and then just screaming.

XXXXXXXX

Harry was concentrating like he never knew he could. Voldemort's mind was his mind, and his body was controlled by his mind. Voldemort yelled something about not being able to beat him.

Harry growled "Wanna bet. You made a mistake; you're not going to kill her or anyone else. Ugn, no you don't."

His real eyes sought out the goblins "Get rid of another one, now."

The second goblin joined Defthand in muttering and within another second the mist came out of the tiara.

"Two left you filth. How's it feel to die slowly? Gahhh," Harry gritted his teeth.

"Get him Harry. Make him pay for all of their deaths. Make him pay for your parents." Ginny's face was pure hatred as she was trying to lunge forward. Rebecca and Tonks were using all of their strength to hold her back. Monsieur Delacour came up behind her and wrapped his arm around her to help them.

Harry heard Voldemort protest. "I don't give a damn who you are." The mist rose from the locket. And he heard the Dark Lord scream. Harry grunted out "One more bastard, I'm your last hope. That means you have no hope." His eyes found the goblins again "Kill it."

The voices of the goblins were getting louder, they were almost yelling their incantations when Harry's back arched and he groaned. His scar split open and a large amount of blood spurted out and continued to bleed profusely. The black mist finally came out of it and floated for a second before dissipating.

Harry passed out, blood pouring from his head.

XXXXXXXX

Amelia watched as Voldemort's scream became almost unbearable to hear. Then she saw his eyes get wide and fear became his only expression. "Almost time, when I say so I want everyone to kill him."

His hands looked like they were trying to squeeze his head like a vice. He became silent and just stared blankly.

"NOW" she could never tell what spells hit him, only that there wasn't a lot of him left afterward, as well over a hundred spells hit him at the same time.

"Get our wounded to St Mungo's now. I want all live prisoners over hear in five minutes with manacles on them, make sure they inhibit animagus abilities I know at least one of them can turn into a rat. I want a list of our dead and wounded in ten minutes and everything wrapped up in fifteen. Move."

XXXXXXXX

Rebecca and Tonks beat everyone else to Harry's still body, Tonks getting her hand on his scar and applying pressure. Rebecca looked at Defthand who was looking years older than when they had started.

"Can I treat his wound?"

"Yes, just do not dishonor this warrior with potions." Rebecca had her wand out before he had finished saying yes and started to heal the old scar.

Ginny had tears in her eyes but her voice was steady as she bowed "We will not bring him dishonor Curse Master Defthand. We thank you for what you have done this day."

Defthand bowed "Ginevra of Clan Weasley, you have shown you are a warrior also this day." His voice softened surprisingly. "Help your friend, Harry of Clan Potter will have his name spoken at the feast along with you and your brother." He turned to Bill "William of Clan Weasley you will assist your friends and think on what we have done and what you have learned. We will speak of it on Monday. Until then may your enemies meet the same fate as the one today has." He and Bill bowed to each other and then the two goblins left the room.

Bill had a crying Fleur in his arms the moment the door had closed. He looked at the people on the floor and a very pale Harry. "How is he?"

Rebecca answered "He lost a lot of blood, there's no trace of the Horcrux left in him. From the way his nerves are reacting in the scans I have no idea how he did it. The scan shows what looks like a very prolonged Crucio. I really want to give him some blood replenisher, I won't, but he could use it right now. He's lost way too much blood for my liking." She started crying "Damn it Harry you had better wake up and let me know you're ok."

A crying Tonks pulled her into a hug over Harry "He will, we just need to give him time for a nap. He didn't get much sleep last night so he's only taking a kip."

A very soft groan had them separating and looking down. "Who gets a kip, I could really use one right now." He said in a weak voice.

Rebecca laughed "How about we get you back home before you do? Do you think you can stand?"

"Is it over now?"

Bill spoke "It is on our end; Madam Bones said she would send word on how it went on their side of things. Hopefully by the time we get to the lobby we'll know something. Can I ask what you were seeing? You said he wasn't going to kill someone, who?"

"Madam Bones, he was killing people and then he saw her and was going to kill Amelia. I won't let him do that, not her too. I think she killed Malfoy; she hit him with a lot of cutting curses. All of the Death Eaters were down before we finished here, she was still alive then. After that I didn't see anything, I don't know what happened."

Tonks helped him sit up "I'm sure she's fine Harry. She's a tough bird you know, plus she's not about to miss out on Dumbledore's trial."

Bill and Tonks helped him stand "Can you walk on your own? It would look better if you did"

Rebecca said "To hell with what it looks like. With as much blood as he's lost he shouldn't even been standing."

Harry gave her a smile "Do you have those adoption papers started yet Mum?"

She looked at him for a moment with her mouth moving then looked at Tonks who just shrugged. She looked back at him "Would you really want that?"

"I'd love to have you as my Mum. How soon do you think we can do it?"

She had a huge smile on her face "How about we talk to Mrs. Collins on Monday, I'll set up an appointment tomorrow."

"Perfect. Can we leave now? I don't know how much longer I can stay standing."

The group moved slowly through the corridors towards the lobby when they got there a commotion was in progress and they heard a voice.

"I don't care what your policy is you're going to find Slipknife and tell him I'm here right now. Then you're going to find Harry and take me to him. Now move."

Ginny whispered to Gabriel just loud enough for the rest to hear "That goblin had better start moving, she looks pissed."

Tonks said "No, that's just annoyed, if she was pissed the goblin wouldn't be able to move any way, he'd be in too much pain and wondering how his body could contort is such odd ways."

Ginny laughed as Amelia heard her and looked up smiling until she saw Harry.

"Are you ok Harry?"

"I'm fine. Why, don't I look it?" he said in his weak voice with a half grin.

There was a rough laugh behind them. "I like that answer, it shows a true warriors heart." They all turned with Tonks and Rebecca making sure Harry didn't fall. Bill and Ginny bowed and the others followed.

"Director Ragnok, we are again honored with your presence."

"Relax William, from what I hear you have brought us two warriors today. I have already met Ginevra of Clan Weasley, so let's see this Harry of Clan Potter."

Harry slowly stepped forward and bowed swaying as he did so. Bill put a steadying hand on his shoulder as he straightened "Director Ragnok, I thank you and your people for what you have done for me today."

"We thank you Harry, we have been given the opportunity to beat an enemy and make a profit because of you. As Defthand told you, your name will be spoken at the feast tonight with the William's and Ginevra's. I wanted to meet you and tell you this myself. Thank you for your courage and strength, Defthand will be talking about the two of you for a long time." He bowed to them "May your enemy's all meet the same fate."

All of them bowed as Bill and Ginny intoned "And may they leave you a profit in their death."

He looked at them with a goblin smile "Shame about that human flesh." He turned and walked away.

Harry swayed some more "Maybe we should go." His voice was getting weaker.

Rebecca put his right arm over her shoulder and her arm around his waist. "Come on son, let's go." She leaned in and whispered "Lean on me if you need to."

"Thanks" was his barely heard reply.

As they got out of the bank Rebecca said "I'm leaving with him, I might need your help Bill." With that she was gone with Harry.

"Everyone who knows where we're going, grab someone who doesn't, Mademoiselle Delacour if you would?" She took his arm with a smile as everyone else paired up and apparated.

When they got to the alley Harry was leaning against a wall with Rebecca keeping him upright. Bill jumped over to them and got Harry's arm around his neck to hold him up.

Harry tried to look up at him and say something but nothing came out as his knees buckled. Bill barely got his other arm under Harry and lifted him setting off immediately for Tonks flat with Tonks running ahead to open the door. Bill followed her when they got inside and put him on her bed with Rebecca already running scans on him.

After a few minutes she stopped and looked up "He's alright, he's just sleeping right now. We need to watch him tonight with as much blood as he's lost and how he pushed himself to walk out he could get worse. Anytime he wakes up he needs lots of fluids."

Tonks, Fleur, Ginny and Gabriel all said "I'll do it."

Bill chuckled "How about I get some tea before I start dinner for everyone. You can all work out the shifts for tonight." He looked at Rebecca "I'll fix some broth that we can keep warm for him tonight."

"Thank you Bill." He nodded and headed for the kitchen with Monsieur Delacour following.

Madam Bones spoke "What happened, I saw You Know…It's Voldemort. The bastards name is Voldemort. Voldemort killed ten Aurors and then looked at me, I know he was about to kill me. He yelled at Harry to get out of his head. I need to know what happened."

Tonks was the one who answered "Harry happened, he was saying that the attack happened to soon and that he needed to help. One of the goblins told him how, then Harry yelled 'No you won't kill her' after that he was taunting him asking how it felt to die slowly." The tears took over and Tonks couldn't continue.

Mademoiselle Delacour looked around and saw that none of the others would be able to continue so she took up the story. "Harry told him that he was his last hope so he had no hope and then told the Goblins to kill it. The blood, there was so much that come out of him. When it was over I thought he was dead, they saved him." She indicated Tonks and Rebecca. "When he awoke he said that the person he was not going to allow them to kill was you that he wouldn't allow you to be killed too. He was worried what had happened after the ritual ended." She saw tears in Madam Bones' eyes.

"Damn you Harry, I'm supposed to be saving you, not the other way around."

Ginny gave her a hug and sniffled "Get used to it, he's Harry. What happened to Riddle?"

"After he stopped screaming the last time he had a blank look on his face, I figured that the ritual was over so I gave the order and over a hundred spells hit him. He's good and dead and won't be coming back."

Mademoiselle Delacour looked around at all the crying faces "This should be a celebration for the adoption; we must stay positive and happy for him."

Madam Bones looked at her "What adoption?"

Rebecca wiped her eyes and smiled "He said he'd like to be adopted by me. We're going to see Mrs. Collins on Monday to start it." She looked up "He called me Mum. Thank you for calling me that night. I don't know what happened but he's the best thing to come into my life. Thank you."

Madam Bones smiled as more tears fell from her eyes "I'm glad that the two of you finally found some happiness. Both of you deserve some."

Rebecca looked at Tonks "When did you tell him?"

She smiled and her hair turned back to pink "This morning, he couldn't sleep last night. He was worried about Ginny and about what was going to happen today. He said that he was wondering what was going to take his happiness away this time because he had never been happier and it would probably be really bad." She looked at Rebecca "I told you what his reaction was going to be. I thought I'd have to bring him to you to have his face fixed his smile was so big."

Rebecca had a smile almost as big as she brushed the hair out of Harry's eyes.

Madam Bones quietly said "I need to get back to the Ministry and finish taking care of everything. I also need to find out how things went there. I'll see all of you at about one tomorrow."

Ginny shook her head "Harry will be at the café near the clinic at one. We're having lunch there to celebrate having these things out of us. I know he'll be there."

Tonks laughed "He had better be Lisa and Conner are making a special lunch. Conner said he would make enough for an army because these things usually only start small. You're all invited; just make sure the biscuits are some of Harry's. The ones that they normally serve aren't fit for consumption."

Rebecca looked back up "Did he get the job? With everything going on I forgot to ask."

"He got it he just needs the new age from Madam Bones and he starts on August first at six a.m."

Madam Bones said "I'll make sure to get the signatures for them before everyone leaves the office. He should have everything by next Wednesday."

Gabriel asked "He will be baking biscuits? Harry does not seem like a person who would bake."

"Oh, Harry does more than bake. He can cook anything and it's fantastic. With all the meals I'll be having at Rebecca's after this weekend I might as well just move in."

Rebecca laughed "I ordered the furniture to turn the home office into a bedroom yesterday. I figured you'd like to sleep off some of those meals at the very least."

Tonks thanked her and Amelia said her goodbyes. On the way out she thanked Monsieur Delacour again and was asked by Bill to let his parents know that Ginny and he were both safe and healthy and would be spending the night to help out.

Monsieur Delacour took the tea to the ladies standing watch and returned to the kitchen to continue to watch his daughter's boyfriend.

"So what will you be making for our dinning pleasure Mr. Weasley."

"It's Bill please. I'm making a recipe that Harry gave me to impress you Monsieur. It's beef bourguignon. From the looks of things he was already planning on making it, I'll have to restock his supplies."

"You can call me Jacques; you said Harry gave you this recipe?"

"Yeah, I helped him with dinner one night, the night that Madam Bones told us she had talked to you and you were coming and that she had offered her Aurors to help test me." He said with a grin. "Harry thought this might help a little."

Jacques laughed "He would appear to have a good head on him. I was very impressed with him during the Tri-Wizard-Tournament. I wanted to thank him again for saving Gabriel. Today he impressed me even more, your sister did also. She is quite the strong young woman it took three of us to keep her in place during the ritual."

Bill smiled "She'll defend him with everything she has. Harry saved her life during her first year." His smile faded "I saw his memory of it, he faced a sixty plus foot basilisk with a sword and beat it. One of its fangs got logged in his arm when he put the sword through the roof of its mouth. He was dieing a very painful death and he still grabbed the diary and stabbed it with the fang from his arm. The diary was another Horcrux that had almost stolen all of her life for its new body. When she came to he comforted her and made sure she knew how to get out. He knew he was dieing and he comforted her. Today it was saving Madam Bones that had him fighting so hard. After everything he's been through he had better have a better life ahead or I'll take care of who ever I need to for it to happen." He was growling by the time he finished, his knuckles were white from gripping the knife in his hand.

A hand on his shoulder made him look around and see Tonks standing there.

"You won't be alone, he's going to have a good life and we'll make sure no one screws it up for him again."

Bill realized how angry he had become and took a deep breath to help him calm down. He looked at Monsieur Delacour. "Sorry sir, we owe him a lot. He saved Princesses life a second time just a few days ago."

"There's no need to apologize, my family feels much the same way. He seems to rescue people without a thought."

Tonks spoke "He does, and then he's embarrassed by any praise he gets. He just does it because it needs to be done and that's it."

Bill grinned and nudged Tonks "Sounds like something someone else did last week."

Tonks looked at him with a questioning look "Who?"

Bill rolled his eyes "I don't know maybe a person who went against the so called most powerful wizard alive and got someone with some real power to assist in a rescue mission of a certain young man. Who could I possibly be talking about?" he smiled as he finished.

"He needed help and no one else was doing anything about it."

"Exactly, you saved him." He looked at Jacques "She's a bit like Harry; when it comes to their own heroics they don't even know what they did that was so special."

"I am sorry but I have not heard about this, what is it that happened to him for him to need a rescue?"

Bill looked at Tonks expectantly and she sighed "His cousin and he were attacked by a couple of dementors; he drove them off with his patronus. As a way of thanking him his uncle nearly beat him to death. By the time we got him here Rebecca said he was barely holding on. One of his ribs was really close to puncturing a lung. And that old bastard was going to leave him there until he found someplace to put him where the ministry wouldn't find him. He would have been dead by morning if that bloody arse had his way."

It was Bills turn to put a hand on her shoulder to help calm her. "He'll get his tomorrow"

Tonks nodded "And Madam Bones is going to make sure that everyone knows he was put down by your punch and Harry's stomp." She grinned at him.

Jacques looked at them for a moment "May I ask who this man is that you talk about?"

"Dumbledore" Tonks said

His eyes widened "You punched Albus Dumbledore?"

"Harry had just stopped him from forcing Princess to break an oath. When Harry told me what was happening I hit him. He was lying on the floor and went for his wand which Harry spotted and stomped on his hand breaking it and his wand. Dumbledore had just had Harry kidnapped after his trial for underage magic. As he laid there holding his hand he told us that Harry had to die in order to kill Voldemort. It wasn't a really good day. I'm still angry at a couple of my family members over allowing him to try doing that to Ginny." Bill turned back to the meal he was preparing.

"I had respect for the man before he put Gabriel in that lake. He told us that her sister missed her and he was taking her to see Fleur. If it was not for the contract of the Goblet Fleur would have come home then. His trial is tomorrow no?" Tonks said yes "I will be there to watch him 'get his' as you say. I think I will enjoy it."

"You can go in with me, I'm testifying against him."

"Good. Now what can Mademoiselle Tonks and I do to help with this dinner?"

Tonks laughed "There's a good reason that Harry is the one who has been doing all the cooking here. I'll set the table."

A couple of hours later dinner and the dishes were done and they were all settling in for a long night. Bill had some broth in a couple of cups under a warming spell so that it would be easier for Harry to drink when he woke up. Bill and Fleur insisted on taking the first shift deciding that their nerves might be the least rattled out of those that knew Harry. They would let Gabriel and Ginny take the midnight shift with the Delacour's in case something happened. And Rebecca and Tonks would take over at two in the morning for the last shift.

Ginny fell asleep fairly quickly and was followed by Gabriel shortly afterwards. No one else ever really did fall asleep that night.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Me no own.

A/N: I did get Gabrielle's name wrong. I blame the tornado warnings and flooding. Then again if it wasn't for them I would have been at work. I might have been too lazy to look it up but that's beside the point. Thank you for the reviews.

Chapter 13

Tonks and Rebecca were talking quietly, the pink haired witch as trying to keep the healer distracted from worrying about the fact that Harry hadn't woken up yet. Even though she knew it would probably be about mid morning before he did, she wanted him awake just to reassure her he was all right.

Rebecca had come in every hour to check on Harry and make sure he hadn't taken a turn for the worse. There was no change in him one way or the other. He was still pale and his breathing was shallow, the only thing she could say that was hopeful was that her scans showed he was only sleeping and hadn't slipped into a coma.

They had been on their watch for a little over an hour when there was finally some signs of life from him. He let out a small moan that drew the women's attention. Both of them held their breath as he slowly started to move, then the movement turned into thrashing and his moans became protests.

Tonks grabbed his shoulder which caused him to sit straight up looking around with fear.

Rebecca put a hand on his shoulder also "It's alright Harry, you're safe."

He looked at her for a moment before recognition registered in his eyes; he practically jumped at her to get her into a hug. "He's coming. He's trying to kill you."

"No one's coming Harry, we're all safe." She was rubbing his back as she held him.

Harry was shaking his head "Voldemort killed Amelia, he's after you and Tonks. He's going to kill you too."

Tonks put her hand on his back "I'm here too, Harry. Madam Bones is at home safe. You saved her; he didn't get her thanks to you."

Harry looked at her for a second then lunged at her almost knocking her over getting her into a hug. "He's dead Harry, and can't come back this time. It's over now, you're free." She held him for another moment before he pulled back.

"He's dead? What happened?"

Rebecca looked at him "What do you remember after the ritual Harry?"

His brow furrowed as he tried to remember. "I woke up and was talking to everyone," a smile slowly came to his face before slipping back off "you said you wanted to adopt me. It wasn't a dream was it?"

Rebecca smiled "If it was we both had it. Are you still alright with the adoption?"

"Yes" he wrapped his arms back around her. She held him for a couple of minutes letting relief flow through her. She had been worried that when he had said he wanted to be adopted; when he had called her Mum he was delirious from the blood loss. That he really didn't want it to happen.

She gave him a kiss on the top of his head "Do you think you can drink some broth?"

He nodded and sat back against the head board as she handed him a cup. He was surprised when he went to take a sip and downed all of it. He smiled sheepishly as he handed the cup back. "Guess I'm a little thirsty"

"Well losing ten gallons of blood might have that effect." Tonks grinned "You would've made several vampires very happy with that display yesterday."

Fleur walked in as Rebecca handed Harry another cup of broth.

"It is good that you are awake now Harry. You should not worry your Mother like that, she is new to this." She had a wide smile which he matched and looked at Rebecca.

"Sorry Mum, I'll try to keep your worrying to a minimum."

Tonks laughed "Yeah, and I'm the Queen."

"I said try, I don't bleed like this on purpose."

Rebecca put a hand on his cheek which he leaned into "Just promise me you'll always wake up. I can deal with the worrying if you just wake up when it's over."

"I promise."

"Good, now drink your broth and I'll get some more."

"There is no need, Bill and I heard Harry's voice and he went to get some more for him. He can be a very thoughtful man."

Tonks laughed and nudged Harry "He also makes a really good beef burginsomethingorother; he said it was supposed to save his life."

Harry perked up "Was it good?"

Fleur answered "It was excellent. Mama was very impressed with his abilities in the kitchen. Gabrielle says she must find her husband here if all the men cook like this."

Rebecca said "Ginny discouraged the idea by telling a story about her twin brothers and some potatoes."

Harry chuckled "Bill told me about that, never let those two near your food. It's just not safe."

"This coming from someone who taunts the biggest badest Dark Lord in a century" Bill walked in with four more cups of broth. "They'll probably print up flyers with that on it using it as your endorsement for their shop."

"I never thought of that. We could have just had them declare a prank war on Voldemort. He would have died just to get some peace."

Everyone laughed with Bill saying that was cruel and unusual punishment even for Voldy. Harry became serious first.

"He's really gone? He can't come back again?"

Rebecca and Tonks both hugged him and Tonks spoke "He's really gone now. You can have your life back and bake those biscuits to your hearts desire."

"Amelia's really all right?"

Rebecca answered "She's at home sleeping thanks to you. You're free now Harry, you can breathe now."

Harry let his tears fall and both women hugged him tighter for several minutes. When he started to get himself under control again he yawned and Rebecca saw it.

"Why don't you get some more sleep, you have a lunch you have to go to today."

He nodded and yawned again while Bill spoke.

"I'm going to go home and let my parents know what's going on. I'll be back with a change of clothes for Ginny and to pick up Jacques for the trial. Take it easy Harry."

Harry mumbled thanks as his head hit the pillow and he fell asleep.

Fleur said quietly "I'll let the others know he is fine. Do you need anything?"

Both Rebecca and Tonks said they were good and Bill and Fleur left the room. Tonks looked at the healer.

"Are you really ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine now. How about you?"

"I'm all right, but I saw the look of relief on your face when he said he still wanted you to adopt him."

Tears started to well up in her eyes. "I thought it might have been the blood loss that had him say it. I can't explain it but I don't think I could have handled that. In a little more than a week he's become the most important thing in my life somehow. I really hoped he would want this."

Tonks walked around the bed and wrapped her in a hug "He seems to have a way of doing that. I met him for about five minutes and wanted to keep him safe. He says a few words to you and you find yourself loving him." She chuckled "Lisa, the café owner's niece, seems to feel the same way. She seems intent on getting to know him. You may have to worry about his love life pretty soon."

Rebecca laughed and wiped her eyes "Worrying about that I can live with. It means he's living a normal life and I can be happy with that. It's this saving the world I'm having trouble with; he doesn't need to be doing any more of that. I'd love to be able to sit down and talk with a girlfriend or something."

"Well we may have to give him some help. He doesn't even see that she's interested in him. Of course having girls show an interest seems to be an everyday thing for him. Look at Ginny and Gabrielle, both of them are interested. I think they both know that he's not, but they'll jump if he says the right word to them. I think if Hermione hadn't made the mistakes she did he would have asked her out when he saw her, but that seems to be over now."

"I wonder if he's going to allow that friendship to be patched up. She was really broken up over everything that happened."

"He'll write to her eventually, Its Sirius and Remus I wonder about. Remus keeps putting his foot in his mouth and making things worse, and he seems to be dragging Sirius with him. Harry sees what they've done as a betrayal of his parents more than himself. He can forgive you for what you do to him, but doing something against their memory is a lot worse offence for him. They may have a longer road to travel before he forgives them."

Rebecca sighed "He's still got a long way to go himself before he'll finally have some peace. Before I'll let them back into his life I'm letting them know their not going to hurt him again or they'll be wishing for the isolation he's imposed."

Tonks laughed "There seems to be a lot of us saying things like that lately. One thing is certain; he's not going to be alone again. None of us are going to let that happen to him."

They chatted lightly about Harry and his apparent harem possibilities for a while until Tonks convinced Rebecca to get some sleep since she was the only one who hadn't had any yet.

Harry woke again about ten that morning still looking pale and feeling weak. He found out that Bill along with Monsieur and Mademoiselle Delacour had left for the trial and would meet them at the café. Everyone had decided that Harry would want to get there early so they would be leaving at twelve. Ginny patted his cheek and told him to be happy he had so many wonderful girls who could make these decisions for him; he could rest his poor man brain.

Tonks mean while was harassing him for missing two meals, his position as top cook was in jeopardy. Bill would have a firm hold on it with only one or two more dinners. Apparently his breakfast was just too plain, good but not fancy enough for her new found tastes. She just waved off his protest that their dinner had been his recipe.

By eleven thirty Harry was ready to go, sitting around joking was nice but he wanted to get there early hoping the trial would be over and he could get the news from Bill. It was decided that Rebecca and Harry would wait and apparate just after Tonks and Fleur took Gabrielle and Ginny, that way if she needed some help holding him up again they would already be there. It took almost ten minutes for them to walk to the alley near Tonks' flat at Harry's pace.

When they walked into the café Lisa looked up and smiled until she saw Harry was being supported by Tonks and Rebecca.

"Over here, we set these tables up for you." She pulled a chair out for Harry that was facing towards the door. "Are you alright?"

Harry gave her a half smile "I'm fine." he sighed as they helped him sit in the chair. "Remind me again why I let you all drag me out of bed."

Ginny smiled "You invited me to lunch and I was going to make sure you made it even if you were still passed out. Gabrielle came a long way to see you and you spend most of her time here in bed."

"Oui, it is very rude to take the only bed and make us watch while you relax and sleep, And then making my poor sister's boyfriend cook for everyone. We will accept this lunch as a part of your apology for this rudeness."

Harry looked at Tonks "How come every time I wake up in your bed I have women telling me I owe them food?"

A voice came from over his shoulder "Lad, just be happy it isn't jewelry. That gets a lot more expensive than food." Conner looked him over "I take it yesterday didn't go as planned. Last you told us you were supposed to be in a safe location lad."

Tonks laughed "Harry just had to save someone again. Apparently he had to meet his yearly quota of pretty ladies early this year."

Harry smiled "I passed that quota this year. Remember, I got to meet Gabrielle in February. That filled this years beautiful girls quota."

Conner laughed "A noble hobby lad, dangerous but very noble. How have you been Doctor?" he asked as he looked at Rebecca.

"It's Rebecca Conner, and I'm doing well. How's Amanda doing?"

"I'm doing fine," came another voice from the kitchen area. "I'm hearing that you're going to be the guardian of this young man. I also hear he can be a handful."

"He keeps you on your toes, that's for sure, but it's always for good things. We decided that the guardianship wouldn't work out so we're going to try for adoption instead." She said with a big grin.

After congratulations, introductions were made and tea was brought out for everyone.

Conner smiled "I'd offer you biscuits but yours didn't last very long. I hid them after a dozen mysteriously disappeared while they were near Lisa, but once a couple of our regular customers got a taste of them the rest left here like magic."

Lisa blushed "I couldn't help it, every time I looked at my hand there was one in it."

Ginny spoke "From what Fleur and Bill were saying last night you need to try his dinners."

"Oui, he said that you were much better in the kitchen than him, is this true?" asked Gabrielle.

"No, I think Bill's just used to making more traditional English dinners, he just needs to branch out some. Remember that his Mum taught him how to cook, it's really good food but tends to lean more towards quantity that variety." He smiled at Ginny "I have seven guesses why and most of them are Ron's stomach."

She laughed "My guess would have had at least nine answer's being his stomach; he can eat enough for at least that many people. I still can't understand how the rest of us haven't starved with him around."

"I take it you have a large family lass?"

She nodded "Seven of us kids and I'm the only girl."

Lisa's eyes got wide "There's something wrong with that, how do you keep your sanity? I only have one brother and it's a challenge."

Bill and the Delacours walked in and Ginny said "This one isn't too bad; he protected me from the others until he went to Egypt."

Bill smiled "It gave me a good excuse to beat the others up without getting in trouble. As long as I was protecting Princess here I could hurt them as much as I wanted. It was a shame when Charlie figured it out, but it did give you another year of protection."

After introductions were made Harry asked "How'd it go?"

It was Monsieur Delacour who answered "It was magnificent. Dumbledore's solicitor objected every time Bill tried to speak until he told the man to, I believe it was 'Shut up and pay attention or I'm going to show you how I hit him.' He seemed to think Bill meant this as a promise."

"He kind of pissed me off; I couldn't even say two words without him interrupting."

Mademoiselle Delacour spoke next "Amelia said that Harry started something during his trial. It seems that they are not happy unless someone is threatened during the proceedings now. They all seemed much pleased with Bill's outburst."

Jacques laughed "The prosecutor said he understood what the…" he looked at the muggles present "What their bosses saw in him."

It was Conner's turn to laugh "We know that none of you can talk about some of the things going on. If something slips it won't get out because of us. We closed the café for this get together so you wouldn't have to worry about it as much."

Harry's brow was furrowed and Lisa noticed "What's wrong Harry?"

"Was he convicted?"

"Yes Harry, he got thirty five years all told. At his age he won't leave there. The last we saw him he was being led out of the courtroom in manacles." Bill answered

Harry let out a breath as both Tonks and Rebecca rubbed his back. "Thank you."

"Believe me Harry, it was my pleasure. Madam Bones had some paperwork to do before she could leave she said she'd be here by at least one thirty." He grinned "She said something about chewing you out, it seems that she's supposed to be saving you, not the other way around. She also mentioned that it just wasn't the same yelling at someone who was passed out from blood loss, kind of disappointing really."

Lisa asked "So what number do you think you'll get as a punishment for this one?"

Tonks laughed "Oh, he's definitely going to get the most dreaded one of them all, the twenty." She gave a shiver "The fearsome hugging, a fate worse than death itself."

Harry smiled "I think I can live through it, it might take everything I have, but I can beat it."

Tonks laughed and then explained the joke to everyone else. They all talked and joked as Conner and Amanda went to fix their lunch and serve them. It was just after one when the front door opened.

Harry and the others looked up and got quiet.

"Ah, Harry. It is time to stop this foolishness; you need to come with me so we may prepare you for your destiny."

Dumbledore and Snape both walked in with wands in their hands. Bill started to move and Snape leveled his wand on him.

"Yes, give me a reason to make this a happy occasion."

Harry growled "Leave them alone. You want me not them." His glare turned to Snape "Lower it now."

"I do not think that would be wise Harry. Now why don't you just come with us and the others can enjoy their meal in peace?"

"Why the hell can't you leave him alone? Let him live damn it."

"Ah, Miss Monroe, if I remember correctly you were a Hufflepuff. As admirable as that loyalty is, your judgment on where to place it is lacking. If I recall, your grades showed that you were better than that. It seems that your time among the muggles has deteriorated that judgment drastically. Harry we must be going now."

There were small movements from the table "Don't, they have the upper hand. If I leave with you will you swear an oath that you will stop using everyone else for your plans?"

"Ah, my boy, that will not be possible. They do not know what it is that they are truly dealing with. They must have my guidance to end this once and for all."

"It's over damn it; he's dead and can't come back. Why do you have to keep thinking you're the only one who can do anything? Especially since everything you've done has gone to pot. You can't even get me killed properly you bastard. The only reason that I would go with you is if you were going to leave them alone."

Dumbledore sighed a dramatic sigh "Alas, if it must be that way. If I were to swear the oath on the people in this room would that be satisfactory to you?"

Harry saw movement out of the corner of his eye. "Yes, plus Madam Bones, Susan Bones and Hannah Abbot. I'll go with you if you swear that."

Snape spoke "How touching, yet no mention of the mudblood or the weasel boy."

Harry's eyes narrowed "It's a shame you weren't with your Death Eater friends yesterday. You could have had your greasy arse handed to you with your precious Dark Lord. If this git speaks again he'll die, do you understand me old man?"

Snape made to move his wand towards Harry "Severus, we need to keep the peace for now. Come now Harry we really must be leaving."

Harry rose and looked at Rebecca "It'll be ok." He slowly made his way around the table on the opposite side from where he saw the movement.

"Just like your father, you have to act it up. Get over here now."

Harry stopped a few feet in front of them glaring again at Snape. "You were warned Dumbles. You need to say goodbye to your pet Death Eater now."

He didn't get the chance to speak as a metal bar struck the back of Snape's head. Harry tackled Dumbledore and started hitting him in the face.

"Don't disrespect my Mum. You will leave them alone or I'll kill you. I'm tired of your crap. It's over damn it." Almost every word was punctuated with a punch until Rebecca grabbed him in a hug and pulled him away. Just about everyone else had their wands out pointed at the two people on the floor. Conner had his niece in one hand and the metal bar in the other.

He spoke first "I take it you don't want the local constable to handle this?"

Tonks said "No, they aren't equipped to handle it. Do you have them Bill?"

"Yes, just tell Bones to get here fast or I'll kill them both" He was growling. Tonks fired off a messenger spell.

Harry was crying in Rebecca's arms "I can't do this anymore, I want to live."

"Shh, it's over now Harry, he won't get to you again. I promise we won't let that happen. I promise I won't let it happen." They stayed locked in each others arms until Madam Bones showed up a minute later with ten Aurors.

She looked at the two on the floor and told the Aurors to check them for spare wands and get them in manacles. Then she turned to Harry and Rebecca.

"I'm sorry; Snape ambushed the Aurors who were escorting him to Azkaban. We didn't find out about it until we got Tonks message."

Harry sniffled and dried his eyes "It's not your fault; I felt something was wrong today but didn't say anything. I just wanted it to be over."

"Madam Bones."

She turned and looked at the Auror who called her.

"They're both dead Ma'am. This one" he pointed to Snape "from a blow to the back of the head, and this one from what looks like a beating."

When she turned back to look at Harry, he was staring at his hands which were covered in blood.

"Harry? Harry! Look at me. He did this to himself. He is the one responsible for this not you. Do you understand me?"

Harry nodded slowly. She pulled him into a hug "He's no better than Voldemort and you won't mourn him will you?" he shook his head "Then don't mourn Dumbledore. He was trying to kill you just as much as Voldemort was. There's no difference between them." She pulled back and looked him in the eyes.

"You're going to be ok. That's not a question Harry. You are going to be ok. Do you understand?"

He looked at her for a minute before nodding "Yeah I think I do." He looked at Rebecca "I think I will be."

A commotion made them look to another corner of the café. Tonks was between four Aurors and Conner and his family.

"Harry says it's not going to happen here so it's not going to happen." Tonks hair and eyes were fire red.

Bill stepped beside her "If that's the way he wants it to be then that's the way it will be. Now back off."

Ginny, Fleur, and Gabrielle all stepped in with them as the two adult Delacours moved to the side slightly behind the Aurors.

Harry moved before Amelia and Rebecca could.

"Your not doing that to them. This isn't their fault and Conner just saved me. Put your wands away."

"They're muggles and we need to be obliviate them. If you don't want to be arrested you had better get out of the way."

Harry grabbed his wand hand and pulled him close his voice was cold and emotionless. "I've had enough. I'm not going to let this happen and you're going to make a choice. Leave them alone or get hurt. Choose now."

The Auror just stared at him for a moment then looked at Madam Bones.

"You have the person responsible for taking out the two most powerful wizards around threatening you. I would think you would be able to make that decision on your own."

The Auror looked back at Harry who hadn't let go of his hand. "He wasn't even there yesterday."

"Idiot, when Voldemort was screaming and cursing the name of Potter, who do you think it was that was doing that to him? That's Harry Potter who's threatening you. He just took out Dumbledore with his bare hands. Yesterday he beat Voldemort in a fight between their minds. He's faced Voldemort five other times and he's the one still alive. Are you too stupid to realize that you can't win this? If he tells you that you're not doing something you believe him. And I would highly recommend that you never threaten one of his friends again. People who do that generally end up in a bad way; most of them are dead now. That's not even mentioning you're surrounded by some very pissed off people. We let the old man get away; they fixed that screw up because he wanted to kill Harry. Now do you really need me to give you orders to back down?"

The Aurors' eyes had been getting wider as she spoke. He finally shook his head and slowly backed up as Harry let go of his hand.

"At least you have some brains. Get these bodies out of here and the blood cleaned up. I want all of your reports done by the time I get back and if there are any mistakes in them you will not need to report for your next shift. Now move."

Harry turned around and looked at the people behind him. "Thanks, all of you." He looked at Lisa and her Aunt and Uncle.

"Are all of you alright? Are you ok Conner?"

"Yes lad we're ok, and you did warn them what would happen. We're a might confused about some things though."

"Uhm, I can explain all of this." He sighed and looked at Tonks "I'm going to need help explaining this."

Tonks laughed and her hair cycled through several colors "Do you think they'll believe it?"

Harry shook his head and smiled "Showoff." He swayed a little and Bill grabbed him.

"Let's find you a seat first Hero. You need to start taking it a little easier after you come so close to dieing, it can't be healthy to push yourself like this."

"It's not." Rebecca said as she started waving her wand to scan him and clean off the blood as Bill set him into his chair. "You're going to need some broth since you won't let me use potions." She looked at Conner "I know a lot has happened that you need explained but do you have any broth that he can drink?"

"Yes" he got up and headed into the kitchen with Bill following as Jacques went over to Lisa and Amanda.

"You are probably wanting some answers now, no?" He chuckled as they both nodded. "Why don't you both join us at the table? It will be easier on Harry this way; he has had a busy couple of days." Lisa sat opposite Harry and just looked at him for a moment.

"So, I get to hear about your mysterious past?"

Harry gave her a small smile while looking at his now clean hands "Yeah, when we're done you'll probably run. But yeah, you'll hear about it."

Fleur scoffed "How can a lady run away after hearing your tale Harry? All girls grow up with the stories about the knight who fights the dragons and evil people to save everyone."

Harry chuckled "I didn't get to see it, but I hear you did pretty well against your own dragon that time."

"Oui, I did, but I did not have your flare for the dramatic. I only had a little fire on my robes you had to out fly the worst one after it had hit you with its horrible tail. I might have received more points if I had been more theatrical like you." Harry laughed.

Rebecca snorted "I have no idea how the two of you can joke about that. I saw his memory of it and I swear I wanted to rip that old mans beard out for doing that to you."

Harry leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek "Thanks Mum. We can joke about it because we survived. It's over so it's either joke or go nuts replaying it."

She pulled him into a hug "Your dragon fighting days are over now, understand?"

"Yes Mum, I promise I'll try to avoid all dragons."

Tonks laughed "I have got to take lessons from you on how to promise without really promising."

Lisa had been listening intently "Uhm, I know I'll probably sound stupid but what's a dragon?"

It was Ginny who answered "Have you ever heard the stories about knights fighting dragons, really big lizard things with wings that blow fire from their mouths?" Lisa nodded "They're real, my brother Charlie works with them in Romania, and these two had to each face one last year."

Tonks took over after seeing the look on the two ladies faces "She's not joking or making fun of you. Magic is real."

She started to cycle her hair and eyes again while her face took on the features of several animals. Rebecca waved her wand and a teapot floated to the table. Jacques produced two bouquets of flowers and presented them to the ladies. Fleur and her mother both grabbed a glass and filled them with wine.

"Try it, we make the best wine and it might help with the nerves."

Lisa took a sip and her eyes got wide. "This is good." She looked at Ginny and Gabrielle expectantly.

Ginny laughed "We're not allowed to do magic outside of school, they think we're too young, sorry."

Lisa looked at Harry who smiled a sad smile "Sorry, but I won't do magic anymore."

"Why not, it seems like you could do so many wonderful things?"

He sighed and looked down so Rebecca answered "For Harry, magic has caused more misery than happiness. When you know his past and look at it from his point of view you'll understand that while he doesn't hate magic or witches and wizards, he doesn't want it to be an everyday part of his life."

Tonks spoke next "That's the reason he's hiring tutors and looking for a job. He's leaving the magical world and trying to get his life together in the muggle world. The non-magical world."

Bill had come up with Conner, both carrying four cups of broth that they set in front of Harry.

"While I might disagree with his choice, I can't fault his reasons. He has our support in this and we'll all do what we can to help him."

Tonks looked at Conner who chuckled "I may have been a little less than forthcoming when I said that the sound from that booth is heard in the kitchen. This place seems to have been built so that none of the kitchen noise gets out here but all of it from here gets back there."

Tonks started laughing. "And we were so honest with you."

Gabrielle had been looking at Harry "I did not know you were leaving the magic behind. Could I hear your reasons please? I will of course support you but I want to understand."

Madam Bones spoke "Why don't we all get comfortable, this could take some time to explain everything to everyone."

Once everyone was seated with food and drinks Harry began telling them about his life from his point of view. Rebecca, Tonks, and Madam Bones, who had all seen his memories, helped him tell it and filled in the things that he downplayed. After two hours his tale was done and he looked at Ginny and Gabrielle.

"Don't ever think I'm sorry I came for either of you. I'm not and would do it again. But I can't keep doing this if I want a life of my own. I need to get away and find out where I fit in the world without having everything thrown at me like that."

Ginny got up and hugged him then gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Just don't forget us while we're at school, ok."

He hugged her back "Not a chance Gin. I won't ever forget about you and you know where to find me during the holidays."

Gabrielle was next to hug him. "I understand now. You saved me, now you have to save yourself. If you need anything ask all right." He kissed the top of her head.

"Thanks."

Tonks had gotten up and taken a seat next to Lisa and said quietly "Before you make any judgments in your mind, that's just what he's done and been through. It's not who he is."

Lisa shook her head and answered her in a near whisper "It is who he is. Everything that he's done was told by the three of you, not him. He's kind, caring, brave, modest, and protective of those he cares about. How can you say it's not who he is?"

Tonks looked at her for a second and then smiled "You see things better than most. Just about anyone else who heard his story would only see the fairytale hero and not the rest. I've seen how you look at him. If you can get it past your Uncle I think he would be willing, just try not to hurt him. He's still a little boy for some things all right?"

Lisa smiled back at her "Thanks, and I won't hurt him."


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: JKR owns everything except what she doesn't.

Chapter 14

Tonks and Rebecca got Harry back to the flat and sat down on the sofa and Tonks got everyone something to drink.

"How did I kill him? I can barely walk right now and I beat him to death." Harry asked.

Rebecca sighed "When I ran my scan I found that your magic was low. You did accidental magic; it seems to have given your body a boost."

"How can I stop it from happening?"

She gave him a long look "You can't, as your growing so is your magic. Your body grows in spurts and so does your magic. It will stabilize when it finishes growing sometime around seventeen years old." She took a breath "I'm sorry Harry; I thought we had some more time before we needed to talk about this. When we brought you here you were using your magic to stay alive and heal, I thought it would be at least two months before you would have an incident."

"So how come I haven't done any accidental magic since between my second and third year?"

"If you use your magic a lot it will keep it in check and for the most part stop it. When you get really emotional, especially with negative emotions like anger, hate and fear, it can still happen but it's rarer."

He stared at his hands "So you're saying that I can't give up magic, I have to keep using it forever?"

"No Harry, once it reaches maturity you won't have to use it, it will be stable enough so that accidental magic won't occur, you'll have to will your magic then. The longer you go without using it, the more will power you'll need to make it work. We just have to find a balance until then."

Harry thought about it for a few minutes. "So if I levitate the plates for dinner and breakfast would that be enough?"

"I honestly don't know, it might be or you could need to do more than that. We just have to experiment until we find out how much will work."

"Am I allowed to have a new wand after the trial?"

Tonks answered "Madam Bones will be able to get you a waiver on it. She should be able to get you one for underage magic too so you won't have to go through that again."

Harry slowly nodded "I think I'll get some sleep now." He got up and slowly walked to the bedroom.

"He hates me now, I killed his plans and he hates me." Rebecca was staring at her own hands.

"No he doesn't, it's just been a bad couple of days and he's tired and sore. He'll be better by morning, you'll see. Tomorrow's the big move, he's been looking forward to it and isn't about to let a little magic stop it."

She gave Tonks a weak smile "Speaking of which, I have a few more things to do before then. I'll see you in the morning."

"Don't beat yourself up over this; he just needs to adjust his plans is all and Harry seems to be good at that. If not I'll give him his disguise back and tell him I'll make it permanent." She finished with a grin.

Rebecca gave a small laugh "Try to make sure he stays in bed tonight, he really does need to rest." She gave Tonks a hug and left.

Tonks checked on Harry and found him sleeping with his legs hanging over the edge of the bed still fully clothed. After getting his shoes off and him on the bed she looked at the clock and saw it wasn't even four yet. She wandered around her small flat for a few minutes before plopping into a chair.

"Great, I don't even know what to do with myself anymore." She mumbled.

XXXXXXXX

Tonks sat straight up grabbing her wand and pointing it where she had heard the noise.

"Sorry Tonks, I didn't mean to wake you."

She blinked a few times "Harry? What time is it? What are you doing up?"

"Just after midnight, I needed the loo." He limped over to a chair and sat down.

"What happened to your leg?"

"I just stubbed my toe." He was quiet for a moment "I'm sorry about how I treated you and Rebecca last night. I just…I thought I could leave it behind. Is she upset with me?"

She gave a chuckle "You two are perfect for each other, your both worried the other one doesn't want anything to do with you. Harry all relationships take work, parent kid ones are the worst. Parents want certain things for their kids and the kids want other things for themselves. You have to talk about it with each other so that you can understand what each wants and why."

Her eyes went wide "Merlin, that's the same speech my mother gave me when I was thirteen." Her eyes narrowed "I'm going to have to hurt you now Harry. I promised myself I'd never become my mother and your turning me into her. I'll never be able to show my face again."

Her face and hair changed to match Harry's complete with his half grin. "There now I can live with the shame because it's you who's becoming my mother."

It was his turn for the wide eyes "Oi, don't do that. I don't need to see my face on that…" He motioned up and down with his hand towards her "that…that body."

He buried his face in his hands "I think all of my nightmares have been replaced."

"So you're saying my body gives you nightmares?"

"No, no that's not what I meant, they're not nightmares. I mean, you've got a great…you're body's…you…" he put his face back in his hands "I think I'll just die now."

"Ah, so my body gives you dreams that aren't nightmares but still keep you awake at night?"

"Tooonks."

She laughed as she changed to her normal look. "All right, I'll stop now." She got up and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for the compliment. I think you need to work on them a bit though, they need to be a lot smoother."

"Now let's see if you're looking any better." She flicked her wand and the lights came on.

"Gaaah" his hands went over his eyes.

"Uhm, sorry. The lights are going to come on."

"Thanks." He mumbled as he rubbed his eyes.

"Well you've got some color back. How're you feeling?"

"I feel better, still a little weak but not nearly as tired. I can actually walk more than a few feet without needing to sit down for a rest."

"Good. Now what are we going to do about you're magic?"

"I don't know. I'll get a new wand I guess, learn some housekeeping spells or something. If I have to use it I might as well do something useful with it. Can you teach me some?"

Tonks laughed "I do all my cleaning the muggle way. It's safer for my things that way. My mum's really good with them. Or you could have Hermione teach you, she seems to be pretty good with most things." She watched as Harry cringed slightly.

"Harry, you're going to have to resolve these things with her, Ron, Sirius and Remus if you want to have a peaceful life. They'll keep coming up and making you angry or sad until you do."

He sighed "Well Ron's easy, I don't understand him and I don't think he'll like what I'm doing. I don't want to lose his friendship but I think it might already be gone. I haven't even really thought about him lately."

"I want to at least stay friends with Hermione, but I don't know how to. She thought I did something bad to Ginny without even asking me what was going on and I treated her like crap because of it."

"Write to her; just explain that and then the two of you can figure it all out. The worst thing that can happen is that you find out you can't be friends anymore, but at least you'll both know and can quit tearing yourselves up over it. What about Sirius and Remus?"

Harry stared at his hands "I don't know. Every time I see Remus I get mad. I keep thinking he should have come seen me once, just once while I was growing up. It's like he just forgot I existed and now he wants to tell me what's best for me. How can he say he's worried about the way I'm acting when he doesn't even know how I act normally? What gives him the right to tell me what to do when the only time he's wanted anything to do with me was when it was his job? He had to be paid to even want to see…"

"Harry!" Tonks yelled over him "Calm down, I'm not even supposed to let you out of bed let alone get worked up like this."

He took a few deep breathes "Sorry."

"It's all right; just try to stay a little calmer."

"I don't know what to do about him. He's the only person I know who was friends with my parents that was free and…I don't know."

"Ok, you have a reason to be pissed at him and I'm not sure there's any explanation he could give that you'd accept." She looked at him for a moment trying to judge how he was going to react. "What about Sirius?"

Harry shook his head "Why didn't he write to me? Hermione at least more or less told me she was going to ignore me. She always trusts teachers, if they tell her to do something she'll do it, so I can understand her not writing. Ron never really wrote much to begin with, and Remus; well he never wrote at all.

"But Sirius has written to me since I met him. He risked getting caught so he could be near me during the tournament. Why didn't he write to me just once? Just to tell me he didn't want to write to me anymore or something. At least then I would have known. Instead I had to think he'd been caught and given the kiss. It's the only reason I could think of that he wouldn't write back to me at first.

"Then I knew that couldn't be right, he had the letters; Hedwig always delivered everything I gave her. So every time she came back I knew he was still alive then, but not what happened after that. Why hadn't he sent a letter back with her if he couldn't get to another owl? Was he ashamed of me for what happened in the tournament? Did he think I was too weak to bother with because I needed to talk about Cedric's death? Did he think I failed when I didn't save him? What did I do wrong?"

He took a breath and wiped his eyes "If he was ashamed or thought I was too weak before, what's he think now that I'm quitting? Is he going to tell me how much my Dad would hate what I'm doing? Or just how disappointed in me he would be? Is he going to be mad that I want to be adopted by Rebecca? Would he think I'm dishonoring my Mum because I call her Mum? What about me killing Dumbledore today, what's that going to make him think?

"He didn't let me know anything, just let me think he hated me or thought I was an embarrassment to my Dad. I'm not sure I want to hear him say it to my face. I don't know if I could take that right now. He was the closest thing I had to my father and he completely ignored me, I can't handle if he did it again, and I don't want to give him the chance too.

"I want to be adopted and I like calling Rebecca Mum. It feels good for me to call her that and I really want to keep calling her Mum. I'm not going to bother with Dumbledore any more, he's dead and I can't change that even if I wanted to and I don't, I feel better now that I know he can't get to me."

He looked at Tonks "Am I being selfish or a bad person because right now I don't really give a damn what he thinks or wants?"

"No, I don't think you could be called selfish or bad for it." She patted the sofa next to her "Come here."

He sat next to her and she put her arm around him. "I think you might be lying to yourself a bit though. You seem to care a lot what he thinks, and you don't want to see him in case he thinks badly of you."

She hugged him a little tighter "Would you like me to talk to him see how he feels about everything?"

He shook his head no while saying "Yeah. I don't know. I just want to know what I did wrong for him not to not even answer one letter."

"You didn't do anything wrong, and if he thinks you did then he's just going to have to go on with his life without either of us in it. The only way we'll know though is to ask him. I can go over tomorrow before we get you moved and tell him what's going on to see how he feels about it. Do you want me to tell him about the adoption?"

"Yeah, I think you'd better. That's the thing he needs to accept most if he wants to see me again. I can live with seeing him and knowing that he hates everything else about my life, but if he can't accept that Rebecca's my Mum then I don't even want to hear from him again."

They were silent for a few minutes before he asked "Is it strange that I want her to be my Mum? I mean I've only known her for a couple of weeks and I really want this. Am I rushing it just because I've always wanted a Mum?"

"I don't know. I do know that she really wants you to be her son so if you are rushing into this then it's both of you doing it and you both seem to feel it's the right thing for you. You want it and I know she wants it so I don't see a problem with it. From what she was saying it takes a while for everything to become final, so you'll both have time to figure it out. I don't think that either of you will change your mind even after a few years, but you'll have time to settle into it and find out for sure."

He yawned as he nodded. "Come on let's get you back in bed. I don't want your Mum to skin me for you being worn out tomorrow."

XXXXXXXX

When Tonks woke the next morning it was to the smell of breakfast being cooked. Smiling she walked into the kitchen only to receive a small shock.

"Mum?"

"Good morning Nymphadora."

"Uhm, not that I'm not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to talk to my daughter about keeping secrets from her mother."

"Uh, what?"

"I had a visit from Amelia Bones last night. She told me that she not only knew that Sirius was innocent but that she had Pettigrew in custody and was going to put him on trial on Tuesday. She told me that you knew about his innocence Nymphadora."

"She has Pettigrew? She never told us that."

"And you never told me my cousin was innocent and you knew where he was." Andromeda set a plate on the table. "Eat."

"Mum, we didn't have any way to prove it and I couldn't tell you where he was, he was under a Fidelus."

"You could have told me he was safe, at least then I could have stopped worrying."

Tonks looked at her mother "You never said you were worried about him. You've never said two words about him to me."

Andromeda sat down. "He's the only one from my family who came to your father and my wedding. He's the only one who didn't ostracize me for marrying him."

Tonks took her mum's hand "I'm going to see him this morning, would you like to come with me? You could be the one who tells him about Pettigrew."

"You can take me inside the charm?"

"Dumbledore was the secret keeper, he's dead now."

"Amelia told us what happened. How's Harry?"

"He's dealing with it, along with everything else. I'm going to see Sirius to tell him about everything that's happened and to find out what he's thinking about Harry."

Rebecca came through the door looking tired and Tonks introduced them.

"How is he?"

"He's fine, he was up around midnight and his coloring was better."

"Was he still upset with me?"

"He was upset about the magic, not you. He's worried you're upset about how he acted." She gave her mother a glare that was spoiled by a small grin. "I gave him that speech about parents and kids relationships that you gave me when I was thirteen."

Harry walked in "Yeah then she gave me all new nightmares." He walked over to Rebecca and hugged her. "I'm sorry about yesterday Mum."

"Mum?" Andromeda asked.

Tonks smiled "Their adopting each other."

"Congratulations, how about some breakfast?"

They discussed the day while eating, when Andromeda told the other two about Peter Harry asked.

"Why didn't she say anything?"

"She mentioned something about you being passed out from blood loss, then everything that happened yesterday making it a little hard to find the right time to tell you."

"Mum's going with me when I see Sirius; she wants to break the news to him."

Rebecca looked up "You're going to see him today?"

She nodded "I'm going to see how he's taking everything that's happened and to lay down some ground rules for him to follow."

It was Harry's turn to look at her "What rules, I only had one for him?"

"And I came up with a few more after our talk last night, nothing to worry about."

"If you don't mind my asking, what was your rule Harry?" Andromeda asked.

He shrugged "That he accepts my Mum or he stays away. Everything else he can try to talk around but not that."

Rebecca squeezed his hand "Thank you"

They finished breakfast and Harry and Rebecca said they'd do the dishes after she checked him, and then get him packed up while the Tonks ladies were out. Harry gave a letter to Tonks and asked her to owl it while she was gone.

XXXXXXXX

Remus opened the door to number 12 Grimmauld Place and just stared at Tonks for a moment before Andromeda spoke.

"Usually it doesn't take this long to be either invited in or told to get lost."

He looked at her "Andromeda? What are you doing here?"

"I came to see my cousin if that's all right. I haven't seen him in quite a while and have some news he might want to hear. Can we come in now?"

Remus stepped aside to allow them through "He's in the sitting room. Tonks, can I talk to you for a minute?"

She glared at him "Anything you have to say that you can't say in front of her, I don't want to hear." She turned and followed her mother up the stairs and to the sitting room.

"Sirius? Merlin you look like hell."

He was sitting in a chair with a mostly empty bottle of Firewhiskey in his hand looking like he hadn't bathed in a few days.

"Andi?" he jumped up and stumbled over to her pulling her into a hug.

"He's been like this since I told him what Harry said."

Sirius pulled back and looked at Tonks his eyes narrowed some "What are you doing sleeping with my godson?"

She just stared at him for a moment then turned to glare at Remus "Sit down Lupin, there's some things you need to hear. Now!"

Andromeda grabbed her cousin "She is not sleeping with him. When I got there this morning he was in the bed and she was asleep on the couch. How could you think that?"

"I'll tell you how; someone here thinks that because two people won't tell him every detail of their relationship they have to be sleeping together." She pointed to a chair while still glaring at the werewolf "I said sit down. Either do it or keep your mouth shut because I'm not in the mood to put up with you trying to talk around your foot."

Andromeda meanwhile cast a sobering charm and added a few cleaning ones on Sirius and sat him in another chair.

"Do you want to hear what Harry has to say, or do you want to leave the room?" Tonks asked Remus.

He sat in the chair she was pointing at.

"First, he's royally pissed at you because he feels that the only time you ever gave a damn about him was when you were being paid to. Why is it that the only time you showed up in his life was when you were his teacher?"

He paled "He thinks that I was paid to care about him?"

"Well what the hell is he supposed to think? The first time he meets you is when you're his teacher, the next time he sees you you're trying to force him to do what someone else thinks he needs to do. You're the only person he knows about who was friends with his parents that could have been in his life, and you show up only when you're being paid. Now you keep trying to tell him how to live his life. He wants to know what the hell gives you the right to tell him anything."

He was looking at the floor "I couldn't be part of his life; Dumbledore didn't think it would be a good idea."

She threw her hands up in the air "Oh bloody hell am I the only one besides Harry who doesn't think the sun shone out of his arse? You abandoned your friend's son because that old man said you should? No wonder Harry's so screwed up about what a friendship really is he's had some really idiotic examples to learn from. You abandoned him because someone told you it was a good idea and you wonder why he thinks you have to be paid to care about him."

Remus was standing in front of her "I couldn't be part of his life because I'm a werewolf. I would have put him in danger by being near him." He growled.

"Oh boo hoo, what's the difference now? Is it that the old man decided you wouldn't be so bad now that you're old too or has someone neutered you to make you calmer?"

"You have no idea what could have happened to him…"

"What the bloody hell is different now!? The same damn things could happen now as then so what's the difference between then and now?"

He stared at her for what seemed like an eternity before she spoke again.

"The only difference that I see is that an old man who is dead now told you to do it. How do you think Harry sees it?"

Sirius spoke "Dumbledore's dead? How, he couldn't have been given the kiss."

Tonks sighed "Snape ambushed the Aurors taking him to Azkaban and found us. Harry beat him to death rather than let himself be taken."

Sirius was as pale as the day he had broken out "How is he?"

"He's dealing."

"Is there anything he needs or that I can do for him?"

"Answer a couple of questions. Why didn't you write to him when he needed help? He thought you had been caught and kissed at first. Then he started to think that you just didn't want anything to do with him because he had done something or not done something that made you think he had shamed his dad. Why can you risk being caught to see him during the Tournament but you can't write him a letter afterwards?"

"How could he think he'd shamed his dad? James would be busting with pride over him."

"And how many people out there could tell him that? He knows two and neither of them would answer him. With the decisions he's made and the thing's he's done this summer he's afraid to talk to you because he doesn't want to hear about how disappointed his parents would be."

"What has he done? What decisions?"

"Let's start with beating the wizarding world's idea of the light from the heavens to death. Or maybe how he almost died two days ago because he had a mental battle with the Dark Lord while he was having a piece of that idiots soul ripped out of his head? How about his choice to give up magic and live as a muggle? Do you think that might shame his father? He's afraid it would and doesn't want to hear it."

"He fought Voldemort two days ago? He's going to live as a muggle? Why? What the bloody hell are you talking about?"

"Let's start with the muggle bit first because my Mums news ties in with the rest. He's quitting magic because everyone in the magical world seems bent on either killing him or making him miserable. He wants to try to have a life and so far he's gotten a pretty good start on one. He already has a part time job and is seeing some tutors next week to decide on whom to hire to catch up on his education."

She took a breath "There's one more thing you need to know. He's being adopted."

Sirius and Remus both just stared at her. "He's what?"

"He's being adopted; they're starting the paperwork on Monday."

"What? Who? Why?" Remus and Sirius were speaking over each other. Remus finally let him talk.

"Why doesn't he come live here? He doesn't need someone to adopt him he has a home here with me."

Tonks looked at her mother who shrugged "I don't know all the details so you have to explain it."

She sighed again "All right, the what has already been answered. The who is Rebecca Monroe, Remus you've met her. She's the one who's seeing Ginny during the week."

"The healer? But they only met last week; he doesn't even know her how can he let her do this?

"Remus, it might be better if you didn't speak again. At least don't do it until you get much smaller feet. Outside of class how much time have you spent with him. How often have you just sat with him talking about anything?"

"I haven't seen him that much to talk with him."

"Your fault, not his so don't blame him if he doesn't value your opinion. Rebecca and Harry have spent a lot of time together the last two weeks. They both want this adoption to happen and neither one of you is going to mess it up. Harry has only one condition to you ever seeing him again Sirius, and that's if you accept the fact that he calls her mum and don't in any way object to this. Can you live with that?"

"He calls her Mum already?"

Andromeda spoke "He did when he saw her this morning. The first thing he did after accusing Nymphadora of giving him nightmares was to hug her and call her mum. If I didn't know better I'd say they've known each other for years and the adoption had already happened."

Sirius reached for his bottle only to have it fly away into her hand. "I think you've had enough of this. You do have a bath in this house you know; at least I remember a few of them from when we were kids."

He just sat there just staring at the floor.

Tonks sighed "Well if you can't even accept it without a drink then you don't need to hear what the other condition is for seeing him again. At least I can tell him I tried." She looked at her mum "Why don't you give him your news?"

"Ok. Sirius, Pettigrew was caught two days ago along with some other Death Eaters. He goes on trial Tuesday and Amelia says that he'll prove your innocence. You're going to be a free man."

"They caught him? How did they catch him last we heard he never left Voldemort's side?"

"Sirius, You Know Who is dead." Tonks told him "He was killed two days ago when a whole crap load of Aurors from here and the continent attacked Malfoy Manner while he was in it. At the same time Harry was involved in a ritual to destroy the Horcruxes that he had created. Harry was one, there was a piece of Voldemort inside his scar, and it allowed him to influence Harry's emotions. The goblins were able to coordinate things with Madam Bones so that the attack happened after they were destroyed. It didn't work out right and the attack happened early. Harry fought a mental battle that apparently paralyzed the Dark Lord long enough for her to finish the job. Pettigrew was apparently caught in the battle."

Remus spoke again "You said that Voldemort was influencing Harry's emotions?"

"Don't even go there Lupin. The goblins performed a ritual on both Harry and Ginny to block that influence. That's why they couldn't be close to each other and when you saw them together the other day they didn't spend very long talking. Being in close proximity would break down the block and it couldn't be performed again. Not one thing gives any of us reason to think he's been influenced since then and he certainly isn't now, and she's the one who found the bastard in his head to begin with. This adoption is going to happen whether you like it or not. He's the one who asked her to be his magical and muggle guardian, that's what started this adoption. Accept it or don't I don't care, but your not going to try to stop it."

Andromeda lightly slapped Sirius' face a couple of times "Are you still with us?"

He nodded slowly "You said he almost died from the battle?"

"His scar burst open when the soul piece came out. He almost bled to death and the whole goblin honor thing wouldn't let him have any potions. His nerves acted like he had suffered a prolonged Crucio. We had a schedule for everyone who was there to sit up making sure he was alright that night." She glared at Remus "Rebecca only got an hour's sleep that night and that was after he had woken up and made sure that the adoption was still going to happen. It took me almost another two hours to convince her to get some rest after she knew he was ok."

"All right I get it. He's being adopted no matter what I say. Can you stop being so belligerent towards me now?"

"Probably not, but let's see if you can keep your attitude in check before I commit to that. What both of you need to realize is that he's made up his mind about how he wants to move on with his life. You need to decide whether or not you want to have any part in it at all. He's already given up on one friendship and is trying to see where another one is right now. He won't hesitate to accept the fact that your not part of it."

Andromeda said "I have a question, when did he get a job and what is it? The last time I saw you two neither of you said anything about it."

"He got it this week; he's going to be baking biscuits for a café."

Sirius sputtered "He's baking?"

Tonks smiled "If he opened his own restaurant he'd get rich."

"He really can cook, he cooked dinner when he had Amelia invite Ted and I over and it was excellent."

Sirius stared at them blinking.

"Mum, I've said what I needed to say so I'm going to leave now." She gave her a hug then turned back to Sirius "If you decide you want to be part of his life let me know, I'll tell you the other condition."

"Wait. I want to be a part of his life even if it's just an occasional letter. I've waited too long to for it to let it go. I'll accept whatever conditions he has. I just need to see him again. What's his other condition?"

"It's not his, its mine. You accept everything about his new life without reservation or criticism, not just the adoption. You wait to offer your advice until he asks or you ask before you give it and you never under any circumstances tell him either of his parents would be ashamed, upset, or in any other way not approve of him in any way. If you can live with that condition I'll let you see him, but I'm not letting you hurt him again."

"Tell him that the only way his parents wouldn't approve of what he's doing is if he wasn't happy. They may have wanted him to take a different path, but if he's happy they would have approved. Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, I won't promise to answer it but go ahead."

He thought for a moment "I'm not asking this to criticize or anything, I'm asking because I want to know about his life. Are you and he dating, you seem to be really close to him?"

Tonks smiled "If he was a few years older or I was a few years younger we might be. We're really good friends and I'll protect him with my life if I need to. He and I have spent more time talking than he and Rebecca have, hell I've told him more about my life than any boyfriend I ever had." Her grin grew "As far as us sleeping together, we've only done that once and woke up so sore we haven't tried it again; yet."

"Nymphadora!" he mother yelled as Sirius paled. "You tell him what happened right now young lady. He doesn't need that grief."

She sighed "You can really kill a good prank you know? He woke up screaming from a nightmare his first night at my place. We talked for a while then fell asleep while sitting in a hug. We were both stiff and sore from the position we woke up in and I don't think the fact he had just been healed from his uncle's beating helped him any either. A lot of our talks happen in the middle of the night because of those nightmares."

"Thank you for being there for him. This Rebecca and you seem to be the most important people in his life; could I meet with the two of you before I see him?" He looked at Andromeda "It seems I'll be free by Wednesday and I'd like to get to know her a little bit before I see him."

"I don't see why not, I'll ask her about it and let you know. You do need to know that hurting or insulting her won't be healthy. Ask foot and mouth disease over here what Harry's promise is for that offence. So be nice to her because she is his Mum."

"I heard what he said to Remus," he chuckled lightly "That threat would make Lily proud. I'll be nice; I really want to get to know her too."

"Good, I have to do a couple of other things so I need to go. Mum can you get him into a bath at the very least. Those cleaning charms either weren't very good or he's already over powered them. Bye."


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I could own it. Would someone lend me a few billion?

Chapter 15

Rebecca and Harry finished the dishes and packed all of the cloths he had bought and they were just sitting down with a couple of drinks.

"Can I ask you a question?" Harry said.

"Sure, what do you want to know?"

"Why did you choose to live as a muggle?"

She took a moment to answer "I just couldn't take the magical world anymore. My fiancé was killed just before the end of the war. He was killed by mistake by an Auror who had just been in a fight with a bunch of Death Eaters. The Auror heard something behind her and just shot a cutting curse. Her adrenaline was really high and she was scared at the time. I found out that she had just lost her brother and his wife and that she now had their newborn to take care of. She almost quit after that, until I told her that I didn't blame her."

She gave him a small smile "We've been friends ever since. I would have stayed in that world and probably taken a job at St Mungo's but a few weeks after the last of the Death Eater trials the muggleborn prejudices were starting to come back. No one was doing anything about it, saying that it was just talk and didn't really mean anything. I just didn't want to deal with that while still trying to come to terms with Jake's death, so I left.

"I always wanted to be a doctor and had just changed that to a healer when I went to Hogwarts. My parents helped me get into college. Talking with Amelia and trying to make her realize that it was just a mistake and could have happened to anyone got me interested in counseling so I took some courses in that while I was there. I convinced her to stick it out but couldn't do it myself. I always wondered about how that worked out, just always seemed kind of backwards to me." Her voice drifted off.

Harry waited a second before asking "Why does it seem backwards?"

She shook herself a little and gave him a big smile. "Because I really loved magic. Every time I turned around something else was amazing me. Jake used to tease me that my natural look was my mouth hanging open, because it would each time I saw something new."

Harry laughed "I know what you're talking about, I do the same thing." He sobered a bit "It's weird that I don't really want to use it anymore, I really did love it. I don't hate it now; I just don't think it really helps anything anymore. At first it made it so that I wasn't the freak anymore, I was just like all of the other witches and wizards, normal, and I finally had something that connected me to my parents. Then I found out that even among them I was a freak, something to be stared at and talked about.

"I think I had to much time to think at the beginning of summer because my way of looking at a lot of things has changed. I think last night I finally accepted I won't ever be normal no matter what I do. There's always going to be people who see me as the freak. I just don't want that Boy-Who-Lived garbage following me everywhere anymore."

"What about the connection to your parents?"

He smiled at her "Something Sirius said to me before he left on Buckbeak finally sank in this summer. He said that the ones who really love us never leave us; he said they were always with us. I realized that _I am _my connection to them, everything about me is. I still want to know more about them but I can live my life the way I want and not worry about losing that connection."

She hugged him "I think you put that time thinking to good use."

"What about your parents are they still alive?"

"No, my Dad had a heart attack while they were on vacation a few years ago, my Mum died in her sleep a little over a year later."

"I'm sorry."

"It's alright; I think my Mum just missed him too much. I know they're together so I'm happy. And I like your way of thinking about it, I am my connection to them so they're always with me."

They talked about her life until Tonks popped in.

"How did it go?" Rebecca asked her.

Tonks shrugged "Kind of mixed." She looked at Harry and said "Sirius first wants you to know that the only way your parents would ever not approve of what you do with your life is if you weren't happy. He wants to meet with Rebecca and me before he sees you to get to know her, but he does want to see you."

"He wants to meet with us first?"

She shrugged again "I made it as clear as it could be that as far as you're both concerned, you're his Mum, he wants to get to know the people in Harry's life." She smiled sadly "Remus on the other hand may be scarce for a while. I kind of laid into him pretty hard after I found out the he told Sirius that we were sleeping together."

"He what?" both Rebecca and Harry yelled.

"It kind of pissed me off too. When I asked him why he wasn't part of your life he first said that Dumbledore didn't think it was a good idea. After I called him on that he said it was too dangerous because he was a werewolf. I asked what the difference was now compared to when you were younger, I think I may have suggested he'd been neutered or something, but he didn't have an answer. I'm not sure he'll come around for a long time.

"Sirius was in pretty bad shape when we got there, I don't think he's had anything to eat except firewhiskey since Remus told him what you said at the café. I know he hasn't bathed since then at least. He was overpowering my Mum's cleaning charms."

Seeing the look on Harry's face she said "It's not your fault Harry, drowning yourself in booze every time you're depressed about something is a personal choice. The only one he can blame for his condition is himself and I'm sure Mum is reading him the riot act about it right now. From the look in her eye she was planning a spring cleaning party and was going to start with him. After she's done with him he'll stay clean and sober out of self defense."

"Did he tell you why he didn't write to me?"

Tonks' brow furrowed "I don't think he did. When I asked him I also told him what you were thinking when no reply's came. He said your Dad would be bursting with pride over you, he also mentioned that your Mum would have been proud of that threat you gave Remus. But things kind of went to different questions and I never got back to that one. Would you like me to ask him again?"

He shook his head "No, I can ask him when I see him. How'd he react when you told him about the adoption?"

"Shock, I think I overloaded his brain with everything before I got to the adoption. I was yelling most of the time I was there because of Remus. I pretty much told him to shut up then asked him a question just to yell at him again. Anyway, by the time the adoption came up Sirius was already a bit wobbly in the sanity department. I think that when I told Mum what your new job was brought him back to reality a bit, the fact that Mum said you were an excellent cook seemed to focus his eyes a little better for some reason. He said he would accept both of our conditions for him seeing you again, which is why he wants to meet your Mum first. He promised to be on his best behavior for the meeting."

She reached over and took his hand "He's going to make the effort Harry, with everything that he was told today, including that he should be a free man by Wednesday the one thing he really did focus on was seeing you again. I think his biggest problem with the adoption was that you wouldn't be coming to live with him, but he'll get over it."

"What were the conditions that you set him so that I know what I need to add?" Rebecca asked.

"That he accepts not only the adoption but everything else about Harry's new life without reservations or criticism or I wouldn't let him anywhere near Harry."

"That should cover it pretty well, cuts out all the loopholes quite nicely." Rebecca said with a grin.

"He would like to meet when ever is good for us after he's freed, I told him I'd let him know."

A tapping noise at the window had Tonks waving her wand to let an owl in which flew to Harry and stayed put while he read the letter.

"Hermione would like to see me Monday."

Everyone was silent for a few moments before Tonks asked "Well, are you going to see her?"

"Yeah, I just don't really know what I'm going to say when I do."

Rebecca rubbed his back "It will come to you. Just try not to get to angry when it does."

Harry laughed "That makes where to meet easier to decide. I think I should have some of the special blend handy just in case."

He got up and walked over to the desk and wrote his reply. Once he had the owl on its way they loaded Rebecca's car and began the move.

XXXXXXXX

Hermione sat biting her bottom lip as she read the second letter from Harry; she had sat there for about twenty minutes reading it.

"Is everything ok dear?" her Mother asked.

"I don't know, Harry wrote to me this morning and said he wanted to talk to me. I was really happy when I got the letter, but now he's sent a reply to my letter and I don't know what to do."

"What does this letter say?"

"He said we could meet at a café. Do you know where this address is?" She handed her Mum the letter.

"I know where the area is, it's not that nice of a place. Why would he want to meet there?"

"I don't know but Harry wouldn't have me go someplace that he thought was dangerous."

"All the same, if you're going to meet him there I want to take you. I'll feel better if I'm there to keep an eye on you. Now are you going to meet him?"

"Yes, I really screwed things up and I need to apologize to him."

Beth Granger sat down next to her daughter. "Honey, you've told me that you made a couple of mistakes but haven't told me what they were. I can't really help you if I don't know what happened."

Hermione started biting her lip again. "Mum, I need to tell you some things first; I haven't told you everything about school that you should know. I didn't want you to pull me out because I finally had a friend."

"It must be bad if you think we'd pull you out of school."

Hermione thought for a moment "I want you to know that none of this is Harry's fault. He's had a murderer after him since he was a baby. His name is Voldemort and he killed Harry's parents and tried to kill him when he was one, nobody knows how he survived. He's tried to kill Harry several times at school and last term he killed Cedric Diggory when he kidnapped Harry and Harry saw it happen. The magical people have a war starting right now and Professor Dumbledore told us it would be dangerous to write anything to Harry so I only wrote once and told him we couldn't say anything to him. He wrote me several times and his last letter said he needed to talk to someone and needed help.

"Mum, I'm the one who kept telling him that he needed to talk about his problems and I ignored his plea to do just that."

"Did your headmaster tell you why it would be dangerous to write to him?"

Hermione just shook her head.

"Do you know why you agreed to it?"

"He's supposed to be the greatest wizard alive, he's the headmaster so he should know what the right thing to do is shouldn't he?"

Beth sighed "Honey, just because he's done some great things or is the headmaster of your school doesn't mean that he knows everything. We have to question what people in power do because they aren't perfect. Did you feel that you were doing the right thing by not writing to your friend?"

She shook her head again "No, his letters sounded really desperate for help. I wanted to write to him but didn't want to disobey Professor Dumbledore."

"Have you tried to explain all of this to him?"

She looked down at her feet "No, the last time I talked to him Professor Dumbledore had just had him kidnapped and hurt two friends of his. The only thing I did was accuse him of doing some really bad things.

"I don't know why I did it; I just thought that with the way Ginny was acting Harry had to have done something bad to her. I still don't know why they can't be near each other, only that it's dangerous. He just ignored me after that.

"When I met his friend Rebecca she told me that Harry plead guilty in court this week and got expelled from Hogwarts. She said he wanted to be expelled."

Hermione had tears in her eyes "He's the only real friend I have there, I don't know if I want to go back if he's not going to be there."

"What about this Ron we've heard about?"

"The only reason we're friends is because of Harry, that's all that we have in common. He seems to hate everything I like to do. I don't think we can be friends for very long without Harry trying to keep the peace between us."

They were silent for a couple of minutes before Beth asked "What would you like to do?"

"I don't know, I don't want to leave Hogwarts but I also don't want to go if he's not going to be there."

"Is there a chance that you can go to the new school he'll be going to?"

"He's going to get a tutor and catch up on his muggle education Mum. He's quitting magic; I don't want to quit doing magic."

"Ok, is this Rebecca friend of his magical?"

"Yes."

"What school does she go to?"

"She's an adult Mum; she's a muggle doctor at a clinic. I met her because she's giving counseling to Ginny for what happened to her our second year."

Beth's eyebrows drew together "She works at a muggle clinic?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I think I might know why he wants to meet in this neighborhood; if I remember right there's a clinic not far the address of this café. Several clinics will occasionally send patients to different dental offices so that we can all spread the cost around. We've taken several patients from them over the years."

"Do you know Rebecca?"

"The only ones I really talked to were the receptionists and nurses. We'd send the records to them in case they went to a different dentist the next time. But I think I remember seeing that name on some of those records."

She took a breath "It's probably too late to transfer you to another magical school, but we can check into it if you want. Before you make any decisions talk to Harry and see what he has to say, then you'll know more and be able to make a clearer choice."

Hermione just nodded.

"Now, what else aren't you telling me?"

"I don't know, what makes you think I'm hiding something else?"

"First you tell me not to blame Harry for anything and then don't say anything about him that sounds like he could be blamed. This Voldemort person has tried to kill him several times and both him, and your headmaster have kidnapped him. A student was murdered last term that Harry watched and we weren't notified about it, and another student, a friend of yours is going through counseling because of something that happened two years ago.

"Then you say that Harry plead guilty in court this week without saying what he plead guilty to and that he's going to quit using magic completely.

"Honey, there's a lot more you're not telling me about your school. Let's start with your first year and we'll move on when I've heard everything."

XXXXXXXX

Bill couldn't believe his little Princess could do this to him. He was happy that Ginny and Gabrielle had hit it off and become quick friends, but that was not a good reason to subject him to this torture. Ginny was going to have to pay for this and the twins were looking like the best option at the moment to help him.

Ginny had invited Gabrielle and her family to the Burrow and now Bill was enduring the family grilling about his dating Fleur. The only reprieve he got was when he told his Mum to just sit and relax; he would handle dinner that night.

Fleur had told him what Harry had said about his needing to expand his cooking experiences and went out that morning and bought a couple of muggle cookbooks that had several dishes that caught his eye. He was going to surprise his family with one of them as a way to try to make peace.

Things had been shaky between him and his mother since the day he had hit Dumbledore, and when his Mum had found out how close Harry had come to dying and that he had played a part in it didn't help. The real problem arose when she found out that Ginny had seen Harry almost die.

Several things were said by both of them that shouldn't have been and it looked like things were going to get worse long before they got better when Princess tried her hand at peace maker.

She had told their Mum that with everything Harry had done for her she would be damned if she'd let him go through something like that alone and that there was nothing Bill could do because he was outnumbered by the people who felt the same.

His father had arrived shortly after that and did something that Bill couldn't remember him ever doing before. He lost his temper.

His Dad had yelled at the whole family for what seemed to be a few years worth of complaints, but the main theme of it all was that the family seemed to be trying to get on each others nerves on purpose. He had had enough and it was going to end, anyone who didn't like it was welcome to leave.

He then declared that anyone who had secrets that affected the family would no longer be keeping them, from his way of looking at things most of the mess they were in was because of secrets.

That led to tonight's dinner which was supposed to just be the family. Ginny's thinking had been sound at the time, invite the Delacours and postpone the great revealing of secrets. If only it had worked out that way.

Both his Mum and Dad took his arrival with them to mean that he and Fleur were very serious about each other. While he really liked her, they hadn't even talked about more than dating; they had only really been on three dates at all. And now his Mum and Dad were thinking that he was looking to pop the question. Their reactions were quite different though.

After talking with the Delacours his father was happy with his choice, he found Fleur was not only beautiful but quite intelligent and she had a sense of humor that he really enjoyed.

Arthur also seemed to form an instant friendship with Jacques, both being very easy going men who just wanted to see their families happy.

Bills mother on the other hand thought the entire thing was happening to fast, something Bill was actually in agreement with. She thought that they were both to young to be thinking about marriage and blamed the war for it.

Both Bill and his father said they would reveal some things about the war at dinner.

Ginny and Gabrielle set the table and Bill called everyone in to eat, when his mother came through right after Ron, he hugged her and said he was sorry for everything he had said. She apologized to him also while trying to break some ribs, then got a look at the table.

At one end was everything that she would normally serve for dinner, and at the other end were things which she could only identify the main ingredients.

Once everyone was seated Bill told them about the meal in which the main dish was a beef fillet in a red wine sauce and invited everyone to dig in.

After they had all eaten he served dessert, a raspberry and whiskey cheesecake much to the delight of everyone.

When dinner was all finished and the table cleared Arthur stood and went around the table asking about secrets. He got his first one when on his third try, having both his wife and youngest son say they didn't have any secrets. The twins however looked at each other like they were silently planning their escape route.

Bill spoke up. "Guys, I already know where you got it from; he'll understand if you tell everyone. Though he won't be happy if you blow up Diagon Alley and he gets part of the blame.

They stared at him with their mouths hanging open and he laughed. "Who do you think is responsible for me trying my hand at different recipes? He told me all about it when I helped him cook dinner one night. If you don't tell them I will, he really won't be upset."

They both stood and cleared their throats.

"Some of you"

"Might have noticed that"

"We've been inventing a little

"More frequently than"

"Previously."

"We owe it all"

"To our business partner"

"Who until now has wanted"

"To remain anonymous."

"Would you two get on with it, and try to each say a complete sentence before the other speaks." Ginny huffed.

"Spoilsport"

"Ahem, our financial backer for our future joke shop is Harry."

"He gave us his Tri-Wizard winnings so that we could make the whole world laugh."

"We know big plans on a small budget."

"But he's given us the inspiration to try for the really big picture."

"Yep, we want to invent fireworks so large that one going off can light up both sides of the planet at once."

"Thank you, thank you; we will now entertain questions about our obvious brilliance."

Both Molly and Ron started to speak at once and were interrupted by Arthur and Bill. After looking at each other Arthur went first.

"Dear, it's what they want to do with their life, and you know as well as I do that they're good at it. If they're half as good as I think they are they'll give Zonko's a run for their money." He looked at the twins "I'd like it if Bill and I could go over your business plans with you, I'd like to make sure you're accounting for everything that you could run into if that's all right."

"Sure Dad"

"We could probably use"

"Some help with it anyway."

"I'd like to set up an appointment with one of our business goblins; they deal with small businesses only and could probably give you a lot of advice on how to make it work. You'll need to open a business account with them but as long as they can see some profit in your plans they'll help you." Bill added.

"Brilliant" they both said together.

Bill then looked at Ron "The reason Harry gave away the money to begin with is because he thinks of it as having blood on it. Cedric should have had a share of that money. He decided to give it to the twins because he thought that they would be good at a joke shop, and that people would need something to make them laugh because of the war with Voldemort. Don't get angry with any of them for this, Harry was doing what he thought was right and I think using the money to make people laugh is a good way to spend it."

Fred and George looked at each other for a long moment as Bill was talking.

"We never thought of the money that way before."

"It didn't occur to us that was how he saw it."

"We'll do something to honor Cedric in the shop when we open it."

Arthur smiled "I think Amos and his wife would appreciate that. Now, Ginny do you have anything you'd like to tell us?"

"No, everyone here already knows the secret I had and it's all over anyway. The only other secrets I have Bill has agreed to tell everyone."

"Why don't you go first Dad, I have a feeling that we have a lot of the same news to tell."

"Alright, on Monday Minister Fudge and Madam Bones are going to give a press conference. What they're going to tell everyone is supposed to only be loosely based on what really happened this week. Apparently You-Know-Who was killed on Thursday, that's supposed to be the part that's truth. The rest of it is going to be about how everything that's been in the paper about Harry was part of a ruse to lure You-Know-Who into a false sense of security before they attacked him. So the war is over."

He was surprised to see that not only Bill and Ginny didn't look surprised but none of the Delacours did either.

"Uhm, Bill would your news be something that's going to shed more light on the truth part?"

"It should. Most of what they'll say is part of a deal that he made with Madame Bones, her and Tonks were blackmailing him to get the funding and approval for the attack among other things. Making it look like it was his plan all along is part of the deal. Mademoiselle and Monsieur Delacour, along with Gabrielle originally came here because he organized a contingent of one hundred Aurors from the Continent to help us in finishing off Voldemort. He and Madam Bones coordinated things with the goblins so that we could perform a ritual just before the attack to rid Harry and some artifacts from his influence." He looked at his mum "Ginny went through a similar ritual. Do you remember how much pain she was in when I brought her home?"

Molly nodded and Ginny spoke.

"Harry's was a lot worse. From what Rebecca said her scans showed he had gone through a prolonged Crucio."

Bill continued. "During the ritual Harry could see through Voldemort's eyes and talk to him. The attack happened early and Harry was able to distract him long enough for Madam Bones and the Aurors to finish the job and the goblins to finish the ritual. They captured only two Death Eaters at Malfoy Manner, but got another four at the ministry. As far as we can tell the only ones still alive other than that are still in Azkaban from the first war.

"Harry's scar split open at the end of the ritual and he almost bled to death. That was the real reason that Ginny stayed at Tonks place."

Jacques took it up from there "We took turns sitting up to watch over him and make sure he didn't get worse during the night. He was doing better before that whole thing at that little restaurant, I believe he might have overdone it and took a turn for the worse."

"Overdone it?" Gabriel asked him with a shocked expression.

Bill cleared his throat "That brings us to the next part of our news, it will probably be part of the press conference but I doubt they'll tell what really happened. Snape ambushed the four Aurors taking Dumbledore to Azkaban. They somehow found us at the café and tried to take him again. The owner of the café killed Snape by hitting him with a metal pipe in the back of the head. Harry killed Dumbledore by beating him to death. It wasn't a good afternoon."

He looked at his Mum "It might have had something to do with how I acted yesterday when we got home. I think I was still in shock."

"You mean"

"That the greasy git"

"Was hit by a muggle"

"And died?"

Ginny gave them a look "Well he is a pretty big guy and it was a metal bar that he used to hit him."

They both started laughing

"This is not something to be laughing about; if you two can't show more decorum than this you'll be spending the rest of the holidays in your room." Molly scolded them.

Jacques cleared his throat. "A much happier thing happened two nights ago. One witch and two wizards were honored by the goblins by having their names spoken at the goblins victory feast.

"One William of Clan Weasley was honored for the artifacts that he brought to them. They all had been previously owned by three of the founders of Hogwarts and are priceless.

"One Harry of Clan Potter was honored for his being a true warrior in battle.

"And last but most importantly, the first witch to have her name spoken at the goblin feast. One Ginevra of Clan Weasley was honored for her being a true warrior in battle."

He stood and raised his glass before looking at Arthur "If I may be permitted."

Arthur stood and raised his own glass and had everyone but a blushing Ginny and Bill follow. "Please"

"To Ginny, Bill and Harry; the honored ones."


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Since I don't own it you can't blame me for books 5, 6 & 7.

Chapter 16

The rest of the weekend had been blissfully uneventful for Harry; most of it was just spent talking with his Mum and Tonks about nothing important and listening to Tonks bemoan having to actually go in to work again

He had woken up early Monday morning and decided to just get started on his day. After preparing everything for breakfast so that he only had to cook it he decided to bake some biscuits to take to the café when he met with Hermione.

Their morning was a busy one; they had met with two tutors early because they also had a meeting with Mrs. Collins before lunch.

Harry had decided five minutes into talking with the second tutor that the first one would be the one he hired. The second sounded too much like his uncle for him to ever be comfortable around.

At the meeting with Mrs. Collins they ran into a snag in his plans. She knew his real age and he had mentioned what his job would be. Rebecca tried smooth things over a bit by telling her a little about Tonks being a government agent for a department that couldn't be mentioned and letting her know that Tonks boss would contact her to let her know a little more. She said that because of some help Harry had given them they were helping him by making him a year older so that he could take this job.

The case worker was understandably not believing a single word of it, so Rebecca excused her self and left the room for only a couple of seconds. When she returned she told Mrs. Collins that they had a way to get a hold of Madam Bones for emergency reasons and that she would be there within a couple of minutes.

It was actually ten minutes later when she arrived, apologizing that the press conference had lasted longer than expected because of the number of questions. Amelia then handed Mrs. Collins a small file folder that had Harry's name on it.

When she opened it she found several papers that surprised her. The first one was an official letter of commendation from the Prime Minister himself complete with his seal. The next was a new birth certificate with his birth date being a year earlier. The third one was also from the Prime Minister; it was a personal letter giving his blessing to the adoption proceedings between Rebecca and Harry and asked if they would consider speeding up the process for it.

Mrs. Collins was wide eyed as she looked up at Harry who just blushed and looked down at his feet.

She looked at Amelia and said "This is…"

"Not to be talked about." Madame Bones finished for her.

"Can I ask about the press conference you mentioned?"

Amelia smiled "Watch the news tonight or read the paper in the morning. You won't hear or see Harry's name but rest assured that he was a big part of it. The Prime Minister knows that both Rebecca and Harry want this adoption to happen and has already had the necessary background and other checks done to help speed things up. The last ten pages are for your records; that should be everything you need to get the adoption finalized within the next month or two."

Sure enough all of the paperwork was there and complete. "So the pink haired lady works for you?"

"Yes, Miss Tonks was part of Harry's protection detail."

She looked back at him "You seemed to be close friends when I saw the three of you last time. I mean you mentioned that you know her parents, is it normal for security details to be that friendly with their charges?"

Amelia answered "Normally no, but several of us have become good friends with Harry, with him living in her flat they spent a lot of time getting to know each other and have become rather close and are planning on remaining in close contact."

Mrs. Collins eyes narrowed slightly "Nothing inappropriate I trust?"

Harry gave a small laugh "Only her jokes."

After that every thing went quickly and they were soon on their way out the door.

Harry was handed a second folder with the paperwork he needed for the job and he asked Amelia how she had gotten those papers from the prime minister.

"He's in a close election right now and needed something to help him out, we gave him a terrorist that had been eliminated and he gave us those papers. I thought they might help at some point in the muggle world, I just didn't think it would be so soon. While we were having our press conference at the Ministry of Magic he was having his own with the muggle press."

With Madam Bones' help they had actually saved about an hour of paperwork that would have only started the whole process so they had time to enjoy lunch at home before Rebecca had to be at work and Harry at the café.

When Harry entered the café he spotted Amanda near the door and waited until she was finished with the customers she was helping.

"Hello Mrs. O'Connell"

"Well hello Harry, we weren't expecting to see you until Thursday. You're looking a lot better, how are you feeling."

"I feel really good actually, much better than Friday. I'm really here to meet someone; I also got those papers early." He handed her the folder.

She looked at him and he anticipated what she was going to say "I promise it will be a lot more peaceful than the last couple of times. I'm going to order the special tea from the beginning and I invited her so unless someone shows up unexpectedly again it should be ok."

A voice from behind him asked "Is that what I think it is in the box?"

Harry smiled and handed it over to Lisa. "Try to save some to go with my tea please." He said as her hand had a biscuit in it almost before she had the box.

As she took a bite the box disappeared from her hand and reappeared in Amanda's. "I'll just give all of this to Conner." She said as she walked back to the kitchen.

Lisa glared at her back then turned it on Harry who laughed. "Don't look at me, I didn't do anything, I even gave you the box first."

She chuckled then took a good look at him "You are looking better, how are you dealing with every thing?"

He shrugged "After thinking about it for a while I'm actually just relieved that it's almost over. Just a few trials and I won't have to worry about any of it anymore. How about you, how are you doing?"

It was her turn to shrug "I think I'll be all right. Aunt and Uncle have been great and have kept me from thinking about it a whole lot." She nudged him and smiled "Who are you meeting today, and do I need to get my Uncle to stand by?"

"No, I think he can relax today, I'm meeting my friend Hermione."

"Oh goody, I finally get to meet the last one."

A voice that he recognized came from the side. "The last what?"

He looked over and saw a familiar bushy head of hair and brown eyes sitting with her mother.

"Hi Mrs. Granger, it's nice to see you again. How are you doing Hermione?" he asked with his grin.

She was looking a little nervous "I'm fine, what am I the last of?"

Lisa answered as Harry blushed "The last of his rescued damsels. I met Gabrielle, Ginny and Amelia on Friday; you're the last one for me to meet. Of course that's not counting the Godfather, only the damsels. I'm Lisa Mears; it's nice to meet you." She extended her hand.

Hermione shook it as she looked at Harry who answered her "Tonks likes to talk and yes she knows about the M thing, her Aunt and Uncle do too, it was kind of hard to hide it last week." He turned to Lisa "It might interest you to know that Hermione's saved my life at least twice literally and even more times figuratively."

"So you not only rescue the pretty girls, you also get rescued by them. I'll have to make a note to watch out for that. It could liven up the breakfast crowd a bit when you start. How about I get you some of that tea; and maybe a few of those biscuits you brought." She added with a grin.

"Could you have at least two of them reach the table please?"

"No guarantees, but I'll try."

He turned back to the table as Lisa walked away and Hermione started to speak.

"Harry I'm really so…"

He interrupted her "Hermione, if we both start apologizing to each other for every thing that we probably should, we won't do anything else for a while. Can we just both accept that we're sorry for everything and see if we can go from there?"

"What do you have to apologize for?"

"Several things, can I sit and I'll explain a little more?"

Hermione sat with her mother as he sat opposite of her and he continued in a little quieter voice.

"I've watched all of my memories of school and found that I have a lot to apologize for. Neither of us could really say we've been the best of friends to each other at times. So I was hoping we could just accept each others apologies for everything at once and see if we can't still be friends. I really am sorry for everything."

Hermione smiled "I'm sorry too."

They sat for a few moments in silence when the tea and biscuits arrived.

"You're getting better; you made it over here with a whole plate of them."

"Quiet you" she said as she snagged one off the plate.

"Well I see smiles this time, so do you need Uncle Conner's tea?"

Harry shook his head "No, we don't need it, but I really like it so we'll keep it."

"Just remember we actually have some other customers today, no shouting, threatening or…well none of that other thing either."

He laughed "I promise to behave this time."

She snorted "I'll believe it when I see it." and snagged another before she went to help someone else.

Mrs. Granger and Hermione just looked at him for a moment before Beth asked "Do we want to ask what that's all about or what the deal with the tea is?"

"The tea's easy. Conner, the owner, has a special blend of tea he claims can calm an angry rhinoceros, it also tastes really good." He said as he poured some for them.

"The rest is a little harder to explain. How much have you told your Mum Hermione?"

"I finally told her everything on Saturday. Why what's going on?"

He gave her a weak smile "The first time I came in here Tonks and I met with Lupin. He had just dropped Ginny off at the clinic. I lost my temper and threatened him and the rest of the Order, rather loudly. I said a whole bunch of stuff that I shouldn't have in public and had to explain some things to Lisa and Conner." He saw an arm shoot across the table and another biscuit disappeared from the plate.

"If you want any of those you might want to get them now, her Aunt and Uncle hide them from her."

They both took one and Hermione asked "Why are you bringing biscuits to a café? Shouldn't they be baking them here?"

"Conner apparently can't make them, when Tonks and I tasted the ones they were buying we almost choked. Tonks said they could be considered attempted murder. I offered to make them some hoping to get a part time job. I start on November 1st."

They both took a bite of one. Beth's eyes got bigger "You made these?"

"Yes Ma'am, just this morning." He had a huge smile.

"I didn't know you could cook Harry."

"I didn't really talk about it because I had to do it for my Aunt and Uncle; I never really got to eat any of it. It's no big deal Hermione," he added seeing her look "they're going to be arrested and charged when they get back in a couple of weeks so it's all in the past now."

They were silent again while they drank some tea before Hermione asked "Should you be out alone right now? I mean we know that the headmaster and You-Know-Who are still after you."

He stared at her for a moment before shaking his head. "I keep forgetting that nothings been in the paper yet." He took a deep breath and continued.

"Voldemort and most of his Death Eaters were killed on Thursday by over a hundred Aurors from all over the Continent. They were ambushed in Malfoy Manner and only a few of them are still alive, the trials are this week. I know Wormtail's is on Tuesday and should get Sirius freed."

"Is he really dead this time?" Hermione was wide eyed.

He nodded and answered quietly "Yeah, he's really dead this time and everything he was using to come back has been destroyed."

The silence stretched for a moment before Beth asked "I heard that your headmaster was also after you, aren't you afraid he'll find you here?"

Harry gave her a weak smile. "Not anymore, he already did. Friday he was convicted of kidnapping and attempted murder and was sentenced to Azkaban. Snape got him before he reached the prison and they came here. Mum, Tonks, Bill, Ginny, Fleur, Gabrielle and Mr. and Mrs. Delacour were here with me for a lunch to kind of celebrate his conviction and the fact Ginny and I didn't have any pieces of Voldemort in us anymore. He came in and…well he won't be coming after me anymore." He was staring into his tea as he finished.

"Uhm, Harry I'm really confused. You've said a lot of things since you got here that don't make any sense. Whose Mum was here with you, Ginny's?"

Harry laughed "Can you imagine Mrs. Weasley in a café like this? It's Rebecca Hermione, we started the adoption paperwork this morning and it should be final in a month or two. She's my Mum now."

Hermione just stared at him open mouthed until her Mother reached over and put a hand under her chin to help her close it.

"Congratulations Harry" Beth said "but don't adoptions usually take longer than that?"

"Normally I think they do, but Amelia got some letters and stuff from the Prime Minister and its speeding things up."

"I think you broke them Harry." Lisa said as she snagged another biscuit.

Both of the Granger ladies had their mouths hanging open.

"Uhm, are you two all right?"

Hermione recovered first and looked at Lisa "You don't seem surprised, did you know about the Prime Minister stuff?"

She shook her head "I just found out when I went to the kitchen. Uncle Conner and I had to help Aunt Amanda to a chair when she saw the letter thanking them for giving Harry the job. I think she's going to frame it."

"There was a letter in there too?" Harry asked with some surprise.

"Yeah, didn't you know?"

"No, she told me it was the papers that make me sixteen so I didn't even open it."

"Tonks was right; Madam Bones really does love you." She snagged another biscuit and left again.

Harry just stared after her and said "I'm going to have to bake ten dozen everyday just for her."

When he looked back he saw the Granger girls staring at him. "Uhm, I really can explain everything, I just can't really do it in public. Would you like to go back to my home and I can tell you everything that's happened?"

Hermione nodded "You're going to tell us everything, right? You're not going to leave anything out?"

"I even have enough paper so you can take notes." Seeing her eyes he added "I'm not making fun of you Hermione, I know that taking notes helps you organize your thoughts and questions. You'll need them because if you ask questions when they occur to you we'll get off track and it'll take all night to tell you everything. I need to start at the beginning and tell you everything before you ask, ok?"

He smiled "You could even stay for dinner and see what else I can cook."

Hermione looked at her Mum who also smiled. "All right, I just need to call your father and let him know. Do you have a phone at home?"

"Yeah, but you can also use the one at the clinic, I'll need to stop in and let Mum know."

They all rose and Harry went to pay for the tea where they ran into Conner.

"Leaving already lad? You've only caused a small ruckus this time; it seems that you kept it to only the Missus."

"Sorry about that, I didn't know it was in there or I would have warned her."

Conner laughed "I'll be a week trying to get her off the phone, she's already telling Lisa's Mum."

When Harry reached for his money Conner stopped him. "Why don't we call it even for the biscuits, even if my niece will eat them all?"

He said thank you and they left for the clinic. When they got there Harry asked.

"Hermione, can you look inside and see if it was Bill or Lupin who brought Ginny today?"

"Why?"

"Because I seem to always get mad when I see Lupin, I'm trying to control my anger because of the accidental M thing."

"All right, but you're going to explain that too." She looked in the door and her eyes widened before turning back to Harry. "It's Fleur Delacour."

Harry smiled and then held the door for Hermione and her Mum and followed them in. All of the guys in the waiting area glared at him as Fleur greeted him with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. He introduced Mrs. Granger and reintroduced Hermione.

"So you're transporting Ginny today?"

"Oui, Remus told Bill it would no longer be good for him to do it."

Harry looked kind of sheepish "Sorry, that's my fault. I didn't mean to inconvenience any one."

"It is no inconvenience Harry. Gabrielle is staying with Ginny for a few days so this gives me a chance to see her a little more."

She kissed his cheek again "That is from Mrs. Weasley; Bill has made the most wonderful dinners for all of us the last two nights and she wants to thank you."

"Why? It's Bill who's making them."

"It is because of what you said about her cooking and Bill that he has bought the cook books. She is very happy that he did not forget how to take care of himself and has been enjoying the time away from the kitchen and visiting with Mama."

"What did you say about her cooking?" Hermione asked.

"That it was really good but that she cooked more for quantity than variety. She taught Bill, Charlie and Percy to cook and Bill helped me with dinner one night. He's really good in the kitchen."

"He has started to teach Gabrielle and Ginny to cook also. They both have decided that they will not wait for the man who can do it as well as the two of you. They will be training their men to do it."

"Ok, now I really need to see what you can do." Mrs. Granger said and turned to the receptionist desk and asked to use the phone.

By the time her phone call was done Ginny and Rebecca was coming out of the back.

"Hey Hermione" Ginny said then gave Harry a hug "How are you Harry?"

"I'm doing all right, you?"

"Only a couple of nightmares about it, but neither Gabrielle nor I had any last night so we should be ok."

"Good, I'm glad." Harry then made introductions.

"Mum, this is Mrs. Granger and you've already met Hermione. This is my Mum, Rebecca." He said with a huge smile.

Mrs. Granger extended her hand "Please call me Beth, it's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too." Rebecca looked at her a moment "Beth Granger sounds familiar, have we met before?"

"No, but you've sent some dental patients to my husband and I."

"Ahh, Bethany and Richard Granger DDS, thank you for all that you've done for them. We'd have a really hard time if it wasn't for you and the other dentists who help."

"It's our pleasure; I wish we could do more."

"Funny you should say that. We've been working on something and I'm wondering if we could meet up sometime to discuss it. We'd really like to hear your views on it."

Harry spoke "We're headed back home so we can talk about things with out worrying about who overhears. I've invited them to dinner if that's all right."

"Sounds good, maybe we could talk a little about it then. I should be home a little after five."

"All right, I'll have dinner ready about five thirty then." He gave her a hug and everyone said their good byes.

Mrs. Granger drove them the short distance to the house and once they we're inside Harry got everyone drinks before sitting down and starting his story of the last couple of weeks.

Hermione and her mother had sat horror struck through most of it. There was a loud pop in the kitchen before he could finish the story. Both the Gangers jumped and Harry only hollered.

"Hey Tonks, we're in the sitting room. Grab yourself a drink on your way in."

A moment later she came through carrying a glass. Hermione introduced her Mum and Harry told her what they had been doing.

"So, how far have you gotten?"

"Me standing in front of Dumbledore and Snape, I don't know how to tell them what happened."

"Would you like me to tell them about it?"

He thought about it for a moment then shook his head "No, I should." He took a deep breath "Conner had snuck up behind them and he hit Snape in the back of the head with a metal bar and killed him. I attacked Dumbledore; I tackled him and started hitting him in the face. I just kept hitting him and yelling. Rebecca says it was accidental magic giving my body a boost." He looked Hermione in the eyes "I killed him. I beat him to death with my bare hands."

Tonks quickly wrapped Harry in a hug recognizing the tone of his voice. "It was an accident Harry; you didn't mean to do it. With the shape you were in you could barely stand up so you know it was accidental magic. Don't you dare blame yourself for that bastard's death, do you hear me?"

He just nodded into the hug and held on another minute.

When they separated she asked "Are you all right?"

He nodded "Yeah, I will be. Thanks." He looked at the two women sitting opposite of him. Hermione was crying and being held by her mother.

"I'm sorry; I really didn't mean to kill him."

Hermione looked at him for a moment before launching herself off of the sofa and grabbing him in a hug. Harry just held her as she cried for a few minutes before pulling herself together.

"It wasn't your fault Harry. We all heard him say he was trying to get you killed, you just protected yourself."

"Thanks." They were all silent for a few moments before Harry asked if they would all like to sit in the kitchen while he started dinner.

As he gathered everything he needed Hermione asked him a question he knew was coming.

"Harry, are you really going to quit using magic."

He paused in what he was doing for a moment before answering. "I can't quit using it until it reaches maturity or I'll have more incidents to accidental magic. I have to use it some to keep it in check until sometime around when I turn seventeen."

"So are you going to be coming back to Hogwarts?"

He shook his head "I can't Hermione. If I do then it will just be someone else who tries to kill me. I figure it's that damned Boy Who Lived crap, it makes all of the crazy's want to try to prove it wrong. Even though we think that all the living Death eaters are in, or will be in Azkaban, there's no guarantee that some aren't still out there. Not only am I safer by not going back but the rest of the students are too." he looked at her "You're safer without me there; you know that's the truth. I'm going to be taking Mums last name when the adoption happens, it will make it harder for them to find me. I think it will make Mum happy too, I haven't told her yet I want it to be a surprise."

"What about Ron?"

He sighed "I don't think I can remain friends with him Hermione. I don't understand him and I can't really think of why we were friends in the first place. We don't have anything in common except slacking off on homework really. I want to remain your friend, but I need you to accept what I'm doing. Just read the Prophet lately and you'll see that they won't leave me alone.

"Fudge was going to tell everyone that all of it was a false trail for Voldemort, but it wasn't. He's only saying that because he's being blackmailed by Tonks and Madam Bones."

Tonks grinned. "He did a really good job of giving her most of the credit today. It really shocked me that he did that, he also mentioned Jacques a couple of times."

"Really, he must be slipping."

"Not really, he mentioned a few times that he was the one who put her in that job knowing she could build ties with our brothers and sisters on the Continent. He can lay it on thick when he wants to."

Hermione was biting her lip and Harry asked "What's the matter?"

She had tears starting to build in her eyes. "I don't know if I want to go back if you're not there. You're my only real friend."

He walked over and gave her a hug. "Hermione, I'm sorry I can't go back, if I ever want to be left alone for a while I have to leave."

He held her for a moment thinking "Tonks are there magical tutors?"

"Sure, why?"

"Knowing how much Hogwarts tuition costs I was thinking that if Hermione didn't want to go back she could afford a tutor and keep going." He smiled "With the way she studies she could probably take her OWLs right now and ace them. Could Madam Bones get her a waiver for underage magic?"

Tonks laughed. "You could probably ask her to give one to everyone in Hogwarts and have her do it."

He looked at Hermione "What do you think? If you really don't want to go back, it's another option."

"I don't know I'd have to think about it."

Harry laughed "Be careful, thinking can be really dangerous. That's what led to all of this."

He went back to preparing dinner and Beth asked.

"Tonks you said that Harry could barely stand on Friday. Why was that?"

She just looked at her for a moment then glared at Harry "If you're going to tell a story, you really need to tell all of it."

"There was no reason to tell about that, I'm better now so it doesn't matter."

"Doesn't matter? You almost died and had the rest of us watching over you all night. How can you say that it doesn't matter?"

"I'm sorry; I just meant that there was no reason for anyone else to worry about it. I know everyone was up all night and I appreciate it. I really do."

"I'm sorry Harry I didn't mean it to sound like I was mad at you. Did you at least tell them about the ritual and Madam Bones?"

He looked sheepish "I told them about the ritual and that Madam Bones led the attack."

She shook her head "Did you leave out anything else?"

"No, I think that's it."

Hermione huffed "You promised to tell us everything."

"He never tells everything he's done. When he told Conner and his family about his life at Hogwarts those of us who had seen his memories had to keep cutting in because he always leaves out everything he does unless it's bad."

Beth asked "What really happened?"

Tonks told them about the whole thing leaving Hermione hugging him again and Mrs. Granger just staring at him.

After a moment Rebecca walked in "Do I want to know what's happened?"

"Harry's just been telling stories his way, so I've had to fill in a few details."

Rebecca sighed "The ritual or the café?"

"The ritual, I was here when he told about the café."

"Are you ok Harry?"

"I'm fine Mum; I just didn't think they needed to hear about that part."

She kissed him on the forehead and gave him her own hug. "How's dinner coming, need help with anything?"

"No, I've almost got everything done. You can talk with Mrs. Granger about what you wanted to."

She gave the hug another squeeze before turning to Beth. "How would you like to hear a proposal?"

"About what?"

"We've been running the figures on how much it costs to send everyone to different dentists around the London area and found that it would be cheaper for everyone involved if we had our own dental office in the clinic. We'd like to have a kind of rotating schedule of dentists who come in for half a day each week to see patients.

"We'd be able to cover the cost of the supply's and what ever you needed; we just can't afford a full time dentist."

"Do you have the proposal written up?"

"I even brought it home with me with explicit instructions not to let you leave with out an agreement for four hours a week for you and your husband. How about we go to the office and take a look at it?"

When they left Harry noticed Hermione biting her lip again "You really shouldn't do that, one of these day's you're going to bite a chunk out of it."

She looked at him with a sad smile "Did you really mean it about staying friends with me? I mean with everything I did I thought you'd be really mad at me."

He looked down at his feet "I was really mad, I was ready to give up our friendship altogether. Hermione I know you trust people in authority blindly, but you really need to stop doing that. You need to make your own decisions about what to do at times. I was hurt when you thought I could do those things. I still don't understand how you could think that about me.

"I thought about everything that's happened and decided that the only way we could be friends still is if we sort of started over because there have been times that I've treated you like garbage too. That's why I wanted us to just do a sort of blanket apology for everything we did or could have done to each other over the years. I wanted us to start with a clean slate.

"I really do want to still be your friend Hermione."

"I'd like that too."

Harry got a big smile "Good, now why don't you two set the table, dinners almost ready."

They were almost finished setting it when Hermione stopped and slowly looked at Tonks.

"You knew where he was."

Tonks looked up "What?"

"You knew where Harry was the whole time. He said you were the one to get Madam Bones and Rebecca. You told us you wouldn't stop looking for him until you found him but you already knew where he was."

Tonks laughed "It actually took me longer than I thought it would. When I got back to my flat I found Madam Bones looking a little bewildered. Harry apparently completely ignored her with his 'I'm fine,' then shoved her into a chair and told her to stay put. That made the search last about five minutes longer than I thought it would."

"Why didn't you tell us you knew where he was?"

It was Harry who answered by asking a question of his own. "Hermione, what would you have done if you knew that I was at Tonks place?"

She bit her lip then looked at her feet "I would have told Dumbledore."

"That's why she didn't tell anyone except Bill, we needed his help and she made him and Fleur take an oath before she let them know anything. He was allowed to tell only three people anything, Sirius and Lupin he was allowed to tell I was ok to stop them from drinking themselves to death. Ginny he could tell everything as long as she took an oath because she had that shadow of the diary still in her."

He let out a sigh "When Tonks, Madam Bones and Mum came and took me out of my uncle's house I had already kind of figured out that Dumbledore was trying to kill me. That meant that before Tonks came and got me I didn't have anyone that I could really trust, after that I had three people.

"I wasn't in good shape when they came to get me and I'm not talking about physically. That night when Tonks came with Lupin and Moody I heard the noises in the hall and thought that it could be Death Eaters, I didn't care Hermione. I wasn't hoping to die or anything but I didn't care if I did. I had nothing worth living for, no family and no friends, I felt more alone than even when I was locked in that damned cupboard as a kid."

He took a few breaths to steady himself and looked at Hermione who was crying.

"I'm sorry Hermione, I'm not trying to guilt trip you, I was only trying to explain why no one else was told anything. If I didn't want to try to keep your friendship we wouldn't be here talking. I don't know when or if I'll ever talk to Ron again and I'm almost certain I'll never speak to Lupin again." He gave her another hug "We've both already accepted our apologies for everything; it's still going to take me some time to get over it all though."

Hermione nodded and took a few moments to wipe her eyes as Harry finished the meal.

"Harry, can I ask why you won't talk to Professor Lupin again?"

"It's because he's a complete arse." Tonks answered for him.

"I thought you got along with him Tonks. Sirius, him and you spent a lot of time talking at headquarters."

"That was before I knew what he was really like and how he treated people and automatically assumes that people are having sex."

"Hermione, how many people do you know who were friends with my parents?" Harry asked as he saw hints of red start to appear in Tonks hair

"I only know about Sirius and Professor Lupin, why?"

"Sirius was in Azkaban for twelve years so there was really no way for him to contact me. Where was Lupin for all of those years?"

"I don't know."

"Neither do I, but I do know that he never once tried to contact me in any way. No visits, no owls, no muggle post. Not one thing that told me there was someone out there who cared about me. I get to meet him when he's my teacher and being paid to be around. After third year how many letters or visits did I get from him? None, he doesn't show up in my life again until he's told to by Dumbledore. Now he wants to be all concerned about my mental status, were I should be staying, who I'm dating and sleeping with, and whether or not I'm safe.

"I don't need someone around who's paid to care for me, I'm doing just fine with the people who actually do care, and they do it because they want to not because they're told to. Hell Tonks was all but told not to care about me.

"Lupin's two answers to where he's been were that Dumbledore told him not to be around me, and that it wasn't safe because he was a werewolf. My parents thought he was safe enough to be around me when I was a baby, and he's still a werewolf right now. That means that he either wasn't a good friend to my parents or he just doesn't like me. I don't care which it is because neither of those answers is going to make me want him around.

"The way everyone talks about my parents I'm pretty sure they had more friends than just the two of them and the rat. Where are those people Hermione?" She shook her head "I don't know either, but I do know that if I ever meet them the first question I'm asking is 'Where have you been?' and they'll need a lot better answer than Lupin has come up with before I'll let them be a part of my life."

"I never thought about it like that."

He gave her a weak smile as he finished putting the food on the table. "Like I said, thinking is dangerous, it led to all this."

He sighed and looked at her "I guess the only one you haven't been told about is Sirius. He's got a couple of questions to answer too; I just don't get to ask them yet. He's gotten past Tonks questions and lived to tell about it, now he has to answer to Mum and Tonks together. After that he can see me and answer them. I'll go get our Mums for dinner."

Hermione looked at Tonks. "Thank you for helping him."

She smiled sadly "I couldn't not help him. Hermione, I hope you know how lucky you are. Sirius has restrictions on getting to see him again. Lupin would have probably been allowed by Harry to be part of his life again eventually except he keeps pissing everyone off. Ron isn't even getting a chance for the friendship to continue.

"You not only have your unspoken apology accepted but got one in return. A piece of advice, you're a smart girl so use that intelligence and start thinking for yourself. In the end you'll be a lot happier with yourself and most everything else.

"Now you get the same warning that Sirius is, don't hurt him like that again because Rebecca and I aren't as forgiving as Harry. You and Sirius are the ones that hurt the most for him, the fact that you're the only two being given a chance says a lot. If you make an honest mistake there's no problem, but think things through before you act or as was the case this time don't act. I'm sure you'll come to the right decisions if you do."

Hermione nodded "Mum's told me pretty much the same thing. After Dumbledore said he was trying to kill Harry…I can't believe I ever listened to him. I knew it was wrong to ignore Harry's letters but didn't do anything because I didn't want to disobey the headmaster."

She looked Tonks in the eyes "It won't happen again, I promise."

Tonks just smiled and nodded as the other three came back in and sat down to eat. Dinner conversation was mostly Beth asking questions about magic and Hogwarts and the rest answering.

Afterwards Hermione and Harry exchanged phone numbers, addresses and one last hug before the two Granger ladies headed home.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I disclaim any knowledge that I might or might not have of the claimed or unclaimed variations of the disputed and undisputed claims. I will however have another Guinness, thank you very much.

Chapter 17

Madam Bones called her in early Tuesday and gave her Harry's waivers and told her that after the trial of Pettigrew she was to escort Harry to Olivander's for his new wand.

Then she told Tonks that she was going to need to get her mother and bring her to the office. They were going to bring Sirius in for the trial and she was hoping that with Andromeda there he would be more cooperative. She said that the Minister would talk to him before the trial and offer him the opportunity for a public apology in front of the press. He might want to be there for it because a couple of other things were going to be announced at the time.

She then tossed the morning Prophet to Tonks who scanned the headlines.

'_You-Know-Who Really Dead This Time'_

_'Sirius Black Innocent?'_

_'Dumbledore and Accomplice Die in Escape'_

It was the last headline that had her cursing.

_'Boy Who Lived Part of Massive Hoax'_

"What the bloody hell is this? Those bastards were told that it was part of an official Ministry Operation to get You-Know-Who, what's this?"

"That's one of the things were going to address in the press conference, I'm still working on a way to undo the damage. With the Prophet being the main paper in England I'm not sure how we can get our story out to as many people as they can.

"I can tell you one person who's angrier than you are though. Amos Diggory's son is portrayed as a substandard wizard who easily fell in with Harry's plans. It never says what those plans are but leaves no doubt they're dark, and it has Amos out for blood."

Tonks sat reading the article for a few moments while thinking.

"Use it against them." She said "Have Amos lead the whole ministry to the front door of the Prophet and threaten them with having everyone they know cancel their subscriptions unless they tell the story the way it's supposed to be. Have Fudge standing next to him and all of the Aurors you can spare in the crowd as part of it. They can be on site if things turn ugly but it will also leave no one for the Prophet to ask for help."

Amelia smiled. "Fudge will love that. I'll tell him to make a very short speech about how he's only there to show support for the still grieving father and the memory of his son and then leave all of the talking to Amos and his friends. They can demand the idiot who wrote the article is fired and an immediate retraction be sent out. Go get your mother and I'll talk to Fudge."

As Tonks made her way to the apparition point she had another idea about how to deal with the Prophet and sent a couple messenger spells off. It didn't take long for her to get back to the ministry with her Mum and Dad in tow.

She was met by three people when she got off the lift. Bill, Jacques and Florean Fortescue were standing there waiting to find out why they were called in. She quickly told them what she was hoping that they'd do for her and received positive replies as they separated and headed their own directions. Her father said he could contact a few of his friends also and left to do so.

Madam Bones had met with similar approval of the plans. The Minister quickly called the heads of all ministry departments and Amos for a meeting.

"I want all of you to have everyone who's not absolutely needed for anything to come with us. We're marching on the Prophet to demand they retract this article and fire the reporter. We will not allow them to slander the memory of Amos' son and get away with it. I want everyone to contact as many people as possible and have them all gather outside the Prophet the larger the crowd the better."

"I know that we have a couple of trials today and people are needed for them, but anyone else you can spare should be. This is going to be a peaceful demonstration, I only met Cedric once but I believe he wouldn't want this to become anything else. Thank you all, we'll meet at the Prophet at nine thirty."

Madam Bones gathered her Aurors and filled them in on what they were to do and then dismissed them and returned to her office to find Tonks already waiting with her mother.

After quickly filling Amelia in on her added plans the three of them left for Grimmauld Place.

Remus was looking even more ragged than normal when he opened the door, and once he saw Tonks standing there he just turned around and walked away leaving the door open.

"What's wrong with him?" Madam Bones asked.

Tonks snorted "He's missing something, like his brain."

"Nymphadora, be nice. He's going through a rough time right now." Andromeda said as she entered the house to look for Sirius.

"He brought it on himself and I can't find any sympathy for someone who automatically assumes that I'm sleeping with everyone."

"True, but try to…Oh never mind."

They found Sirius in the sitting room again, this time looking a lot better until he saw Madam Bones.

"You brought the head of the DMLE?" He jumped up and started frantically looking for an escape route.

"Relax Sirius they're not here to arrest you. You need to attend Pettigrew's trial today so you can be cleared. They're just here to escort you there so there won't be any misunderstandings. You still have a price on your head you know."

Tonks looked at her boss "Harry handled being arrested much better than this."

She nodded "The fact that he could barely move might have had something to do with it."

Tonks shook her head "You know as well as I do what he can do when he's barely moving."

"Good point. Are you going to show Sirius your fuzzy cuffs like you did Harry?"

"Eeeewww! He's my cousin, that's just sick. I think I know what Harry meant about nightmares the other night. Mum I need a cleaning spell for my brain."

"Yes dear, as soon as we get you home." Andromeda said while pinching the bridge of her nose.

"At least I didn't suggest you buy him pink underwear to model for you." Madam Bones said with a smile.

Tonks started sputtering.

"Has Harry modeled them yet? I was wondering how he looked in pink."

Tonks stopped sputtering and got an evil grin "You'll have to ask him if he'll model them for you if you want to know because I'm not telling"

Sirius was just watching them until this point. "He's modeling underwear?"

"Only pink boxers as far as I know." Madam Bones said innocently.

"I haven't decided what color to get him next. If I get him red he'll probably think I'm mad at him. I might just stick to different shades of pink."

"Might be a good idea, especially after that carpet matching the drapes comment he made. He does seem to really like pink now."

"The carpet…pink…likes…What?"

Andromeda sighed "They're pulling your leg Sirius, there's no pink underwear."

Tonks smiled wide "Yes there is, I gave them to him. Bright pink boxers that he says could be used to blind any enemy. Ask him about them next time you see him, his face will turn almost the same color."

"Don't we have a trial to get to?" Her mother asked.

Tonks cleared her throat "Sirius Black you're under arrest for allowing Madam Bones to put that horrid picture of you and my fuzzy cuffs in my head. I'm going to have to burn them now. Oh well maybe I can find a pink set Harry will like. You can come peacefully or I can have my Mum start that spring cleaning project again until you surrender. Which will it be?"

Sirius almost shouted "I'll come peacefully; I promise I'll behave, just don't let that woman near me with a scrub brush again."

Andromeda shook her head "Now I know why I was needed, I'm the only sane one here."

"At least I have an excuse. Her only excuse is that you raised her."

"Watch it mister, I still have that brush."

"Sorry, I'll behave."

Madam Bones lost her playfulness "Sirius, Minister Fudge is going to say that we found out that you didn't have a trial right before we found you and that the way we found out is through Pettigrew. Most of that's true for me so it's not much of a stretch. I'm not sure how he's going to have a press conference after the trial though, but I suppose that at some point he'll have one.

"You were supposed to be asked by him if you would appear at that press conference by his side so that he could give you a public apology and tell you what your reparations would be. Things have changed a bit since this morning started though so he probably won't be there. He was also going to announce that there are three other's who went to Azkaban without a trial. Two of their family's will be receiving official apologies and reparations. The third man is already at St. Mungo's and will be given reparations when he is able to understand what's going on.

"You'll be in a holding cell until after Pettigrew is questioned under veritaserum and sentenced; afterwards you'll be brought in to the court room to be cleared and get your wand back. Tonks and Andromeda will stay with you the whole time. We need to shackle you for appearances but I won't lock them, ok?"

"My wand? I thought it was snapped."

"They do that in front of you after a conviction. It has to be part of the sentence before they can snap it."

Sirius nodded and came forward to be cuffed before leaving for the ministry.

"Why is this place so empty?" He asked as they walked through the atrium.

"Madam Bones and I are starting a riot in front of the Daily Prophet and decided to use all the ministry people for it." Tonks said.

"No, really why isn't there anyone here?"

Madam Bones grinned "She's almost telling the truth, it's only a demonstration not a riot. That's why the Minister probably won't be able to do the press conference today."

Andromeda looked at her watch "Right about now all of the shops in Diagon Alley will be shut down, hopefully along with Gringotts, and they're going to threaten to stay closed until the Prophet fires that reporter."

Sirius was looking between the three ladies. "Can I ask why?"

Tonks patted his shoulder and smiled sweetly "The Prophet pissed us off this morning, don't worry I'm sure you would never do anything to piss us off. Would you?"

He looked at Andromeda who sighed "I know you've been away for a while, but the correct answer would be no."

He looked at Tonks and shook his head. "What did they do?"

Amelia answered "They wrote an article we didn't like about Harry."

Tonks saw his jaw drop "You didn't think I was joking about not letting people hurt him again did you?"

"No, but I didn't know you had that much power over the whole ministry and Diagon Alley."

"They can explain it when we get you in the cell." Madam Bones told him as they exited the lift and walked to the holding area.

As the three of them went into a cell that already had three chairs and tea set up Amelia shut the door.

"It's not locked but try to stay put; I don't need some idiot killing you before you're free. I'll come get you when it's time." She waved her wand and a copy of the Prophet sailed through the air to her. "This might help with explaining the 'riot' as you call it."

Sirius sat reading the paper in silence until he got to the article about Dumbledore. "You didn't tell me he killed Snape too."

"That's because he didn't, his new boss did. Conner hit him in the back of the head with a metal bar which distracted Dumbledore long enough for Harry to attack him. Conner looked like he was trying to knock a building down with one swing."

Sirius just stared at her for a second before going back to his reading. When he read the article about Harry he looked back up.

"I don't get it, they've said a lot worse about him, why did this article piss you off when the others didn't?"

"We never said the others didn't." Tonks explained how and why they had started blackmailing Fudge. When she was finished Sirius had his jaw hanging again.

"You have all the goods on him and you let him take all of the credit?"

"We don't want to control everything, just the things that help us and the Auror Corps. We couldn't find a better replacement so we decided to keep him around. He's so happy with the way things are going for him that he actually runs ideas past Madam Bones before he makes them happen. He's not a bad Minister once you get the idiots to quit bribing him and he gets decent advice. Some of his ideas are really good."

"Why didn't Harry get any mentions in these other articles? He's the reason for all of them isn't he?"

"Sirius, he's trying to get away from all of the attention. He doesn't want to be famous or have everyone know who he is just by seeing his scar. He knows about the others getting credit for this and is happy about it."

He smiled sadly "That's more like Lily than James. James would have wanted his name all over the papers to help him get the girls."

Tonks laughed "Harry doesn't need help with that, they're practically lining up and waiting for him to pick one of them. If he was like that he could probably have all of them and they'd be happy to share. I think Ginny and Gabrielle already have a schedule worked out just in case."

Sirius was grinning "That's more like James."

Andromeda swatted him in the back of the head. "He's a good kid Sirius, he wouldn't do that."

"He also seems clueless about all of it. The only one he's really shown any interest in was Hermione, and she killed that off really fast. I think they'll stay friends after yesterday but I don't think there will be any romance any time soon."

"Well he's almost fifteen; he'll figure it all out."

"Actually he's almost sixteen now. The Prime Minister gave him a new birth certificate so that he could take the job at the café."

Sirius choked on the drink of tea he was taking. "The muggle Prime Minister gave him a new birth certificate?"

"Yep, Madam Bones worked up a whole bunch of paperwork and had him sign it all. His adoption is all but done now and he has a letter of commendation to hang on his wall if he wants to."

Seeing the look on his face she continued. "Madam Bones told him about the attack on Malfoy Manner and let him take credit for eliminating a terrorist in the muggle press to help him out in his election."

"Sounds like Madam Bones really likes Harry."

"She loves him, and from what I understand she's been really good friends with Rebecca for a long time now."

"So he really is a charmer like James."

Andromeda took his hand "You're going to have to stop comparing him to his parents, he's not them. Harry's not a charmer; he just has people who care about him. He would never use that to his advantage."

He nodded "There's so much I don't know about him."

"You can get to know him Sirius." Tonks said. "Just get to know him and try not to see his parents in everything he does."

She sighed "I told this to Hermione yesterday. You and she are the two people who hurt him the most and have the ability to do it again. Take this slow cousin and you can get to know him like the rest of us do."

He nodded again.

They sat in silence for a few moments before Madam Bones came back.

"It's time to go. Pettigrew just got sentenced to the kiss because he was the one who brought Voldemort back and killed Cedric. You're up next."

They walked into the courtroom and put him in the chair in the center of the Room.

Felton was sitting in the lead chair and saw Tonks come in. Once everyone was settled he asked.

"Are we going to have any of the same problems we had with the last person you were here with?"

She smiled "We can if you want; I've been studying Harry's technique for insulting people so I should be able to fill in for him."

"No, that's all right." He banged his gavel and went through the formalities of the trial.

"Now do we have any motions for this case?"

Madam Bones stood "Given the evidence of the previous trial I move that all charges be dropped and Sirius Black be released from custody."

"Are there any objections?" No one said anything so he banged his gavel. "Motion granted. All charges are dropped, Mr. Black you are free to go with our apologies for all of this. It is my understanding that the Minister is handling reparations for your time in Azkaban but that he is currently unavailable."

"Yes sir, I know all about it." he said as Tonks took the manacles off of him and Madam Bones handed him his wand.

Andromeda hugged him "Let's go get your things, you're going to come stay with Ted and I until we can get you back on your feet."

He looked around wide eyed "That's it?"

Tonks stared at him "Yeah, what did you expect?"

"I'm not sure but I thought it would take longer."

Madam Bones spoke "Like I said, you're brought into the courtroom, cleared and given your wand back. It doesn't take that long to drop all charges when no one objects to it." She turned and led them back to the atrium.

"Take Sirius home and wait for a couple of hours before taking him back out into public. I'm going to go tell everyone at the riot what the verdicts are. Tonks, after you make sure they get back all right check with Harry and see when he wants to get that wand, I don't think he'll want to try it this afternoon even if Olivander's opens."

"Right boss, oh he would also like to check on getting a waiver for Hermione."

Madam Bones nodded "Remind me in the morning and I'll get one signed, just be sure they know it still doesn't release them from the secrecy act."

Sirius had his mouth hanging open again "Just like that they get waivers for underage magic?"

Amelia looked at him blinking a few times "We know Harry's not going to start going wild with a wand and has special circumstances. If he's asking for someone else he's got a good reason and I'm sure I'll hear what it is because I have to put it on the forms. There's really not much to getting the waiver, we just don't advertise the fact that anyone can come in with almost any reasonable reason for it and get it."

"Hermione is thinking about taking the Harry route and getting magical tutors instead of going back to Hogwarts."

"Tutors are the most common reason, though it's usually because someone's grades are slipping. Home schooling is also popular. Now I need to get to the Alley and make sure the Prophet is still standing, if nothing else someone can use the building and equipment to start a new paper."

They separated and Tonks took her Mum and cousin back to Grimmauld Place where Sirius asked her to let him know when Rebecca would like to meet before she left to find Harry.

XXXXXXXX

Harry was walking up his walk to his home when he heard a pop on the side of the house. The only one who apparated there was Tonks and she always used a corner in the kitchen because it was closer to the food.

He ducked up next to the house and started to slowly and quietly work his way towards where he heard the noise. As he reached the corner he saw the movement of someone coming around to the front. He leapt and tackled the person pinning their hands with his knees and raising his fist to strike. Then he noticed who it was.

"Professor McGonagall? What are you doing here?"

"At the moment I'm being assaulted by one of my students."

Harry blushed and jumped off and helped her up. "Sorry, I guess I'm still a little nervous about being attacked."

"That's quit all right Mr. Potter; I suppose I should have informed you that I would be stopping by for a visit."

"How did you find out where I lived?"

"I was able to find your address through the magic of the school mailing list for its students."

"But I'm not a student anymore, I was expelled."

She got a disgusted look "Yes well, the book has to be updated manually for students who leave school before they complete their seventh year."

Harry nodded in understanding and invited her in and offered her some tea. Once they were settled he asked.

"So what brings you by Professor?"

"I received a letter from Miss Granger this morning that has me disturbed. She says that she is considering other educational options and would like me to send her a list of tutors and schools that I consider adequate. Miss Granger also says that the reason she's doing this is because you won't be attending Hogwarts anymore.

"Yesterday I was named the new Headmistress of Hogwarts…"

"Brilliant, congratulations."

"Yes, thank you. As such I have the ability to petition for your reinstatement to school."

Harry was shaking his head "Professor, I don't want to go back, I want to get a muggle education and have a muggle life. I appreciate the offer but even if I am reinstated I won't be attending Hogwarts again."

"May I ask your reasons why?"

"Let me ask you a question. Who's going to be your DADA teacher this year?"

"Hestia Jones, why?"

Harry sighed "I thought she'd be in a cell for kidnapping longer."

"She was fired from her position as an Auror and sentenced to a week in Azkaban because of a deal she made to testify against Albus."

"So you want me to come back and attend classes with someone who got fired for kidnapping me. I may not be doing a good job of staying uninjured but I'm not actively trying to get that way."

"I can see where having her in that position might be a problem, but we don't get many applicants for the position anymore. She was the only one who was qualified that applied for it. I think we can work something out that would allow you to attend and possibly have one of the other Professors take over your Defense lessons."

"Professor, the DADA teacher isn't the only reason that I've decided not to come back. Aside from my decision to live as a muggle from now on, I wouldn't come back for other reasons.

"For four years I've come close to dying in that school. I've also had to put up with teachers insulting me on a regular basis with no one doing anything about it. The school not only turns a blind eye to that but also to all of the prejudice against muggleborns and one of your teachers actually encouraged and participated in that prejudice. You had a teacher who insulted everyone who wasn't part of his house and generally made his class and life in that castle a living hell and not one of the other teachers did anything about it.

"Two years I was accused of being something I wasn't. Second year I was outcast because everyone thought I was opening the Chamber, and last year the whole school thought I was a cheater and had entered my own name into the cup. The Professors knew that I didn't yet they never once said a word about it to the other students. Can I ask why I was allowed to be ridiculed by the entire school? Do the teachers think that the unity of the houses is so important that they'll accept it even if it's only to belittle another student?

Professor McGonagall looked like she had been slapped and remained silent for a moment.

"Think about that for a minute and I'll get us some more tea."

While he was in the kitchen there was a familiar pop in the corner.

"Hey Tonks, want some tea?"

"Wotcher Harry, I'd love some, starting riots and arresting people just so they can be released is thirsty work." Then she noticed his slightly angry look. "What's happened?"

"Professor McGonagall is in the sitting room trying to get me to come back. I just told her what I think of the Professors and how they take care of and stick up for their students. Did you know that they have Hestia Jones teaching DADA? How the hell does someone who is convicted of kidnapping a kid get a job teaching them?"

Tonks rolled her eyes "I'm beginning to believe that you have to be mentally unbalanced to become a teacher at Hogwarts."

"I agree, let's go see if she has the power of speech yet."

Once they were settled and Tonks had greeted the headmistress, Minerva spoke.

"I don't know if you've been told this yet but Professor Snape was killed while trying to help Albus escape from the Aurors so he won't be teaching anymore."

Harry stared at her for a moment with his jaw hanging open then looked at Tonks.

"What, that's what we told the Prophet. We didn't think you'd want your name involved."

"Thanks, but that's not the problem. My problem is that they think that having one of the problems removed for them exonerates them from allowing me to be put in front of the entire student body and having them all but told to make me feel like shite. The teachers practically pointed to Snape and said this is how we want you to treat Harry and there'll be added points for it if you're in Slytherin. Just because he had his head cracked open I'm supposed to forgive all of this and come back to see who gets to take over his position of head insulter."

"My money would be on Hestia, but I don't know who the new potions teacher is yet." Tonks added.

He turned back to the stunned teacher "Professor, he didn't get killed trying to help Dumbledore escape, he succeeded and then they tried to kidnap me again. A muggle we know killed him and I killed the old man. None of that changes the fact that not one teacher ever tried to help any student who was being bullied whether by another student or another Professor. Hell they even let all of the students have an unforgivable used on them by a teacher and didn't say a word about it.

"Why would I want to come back to that and why the hell would I encourage anyone else to? Especially Hermione who is constantly insulted by everyone because she's smart, even the Ravenclaw's insult her for it."

"I'm not actively trying to get students to quit; the only one who I wanted out of that damned castle was me. Hermione is making up her own mind about what's best for her future all I did was ask about magical tutors as a possibility. It's her decision whether or not to return and I'm not trying to influence it but if she decides not to go back I'll support her and try to help her if I can.

"I can tell you only one thing for certain right now, there are only two reasons I can see that I'll ever step foot in that castle again. The first is if someone else kidnaps me and takes me there, as odd as that sounds, a couple of months ago I wouldn't have even thought of the possibility now it seems kind of likely. The second is if I eventually have kids and they're magical. I'll take up my wand again if that happens and let every teacher in that castle know what will happen if my kids aren't treated right. If I have children who are magical I'll look into every other possibility for their education before I allow them to go to Hogwarts."

Professor McGonagall was still too stunned to speak for a couple of minutes when Tonks picked up a biscuit and almost shoved it into her mouth.

She sputtered "Miss Tonks, what do you think you are doing?"

"Trying to get some sort of reaction out of you, if you hadn't moved when I did that I would have had to call Harry's Mum to take a look at you and see if you were in a coma or something."

"His Mum?"

Harry sighed "I'm being adopted so I have a new Mum now. You could talk to her about me coming back but you might like her answer even less than you like mine."

Tonks snorted "Yeah, having someone answer you by throwing hexes instead of talking might not be what you want. She's not real happy with Hogwarts instructors right now. You might just want to give Hermione the name of some really good tutors and cut your losses. This isn't a fight you're going to win."

"Yes, perhaps that's the best decision at the moment. Harry, I'm sorry that Hogwarts' Professors have failed you so badly."

"It's not just me it's all of the kids there that you're failing. The whole anything goes attitude is what makes the bad ones think they can take over the world and become Dark Lords to begin with. We might have less of them if someone tried to stop it when it started."

Professor McGonagall nodded "I apologize for taking so much of your time this afternoon. Have a good day."

When she left Harry sat back down and put his face in his hands "Who's going to be the next one to try to convince me?"

Tonks sat next to him and rubbed his back "Probably Hagrid, it looked like he really liked you in your memories."

Harry groaned "Do you know any spells to strengthen the furniture?"

A/N: It would be just his luck if he went back to Hogwarts and found out that one of the people who kidnapped him was his teacher.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I barely own my own brain.

Chapter 18

Sirius Black was pacing in his cousin's sitting room because his nerves were on edge. He had been through a twelve year nightmare followed by two years of running and hiding. Now it was all over and he was more scared than he had been in all of those fourteen years.

"Sirius will you sit down, we still have an hour before we go to meet them." Andromeda told him.

He sat for a couple of seconds before standing and pacing again.

Andromeda stood "Come on, at least if we're in public you can't pace and I can get some tea."

She grabbed his elbow and led him out the door where they apparated to an alley that Tonks had told them about and then marched him to the café and into a seat.

Sirius sat there fidgeting until the waitress came over to take their order.

"What can I get for you today?"

"Do you have anything for nerves?" Andromeda asked the pretty blond waitress.

She looked thoughtful for a moment then said "We have a tea that's supposed to calm someone that's angry, that might work."

"That should be fine and some biscuits please."

"We're waiting on our next batch. Our baker hasn't been by this morning because he's supposed to avoid us for some reason, but his Mum is bringing them by so they should be here in about an hour."

"Just tea will be fine thank you."

Andromeda reached across the table and grabbed his hand "Sirius relax, it's going to be fine. Just remember that she's his mother and they really love each other. Don't do or say anything that goes against that and you'll be all right."

He gave her a weak smile "I can't open my mouth without screwing up, I've been that way all my life and you know it."

"I also know that the person I've been talking to for the last few days isn't the same person he was as a kid. You've matured Sirius, granted you still have some ways to go, but you're not the prankster that you were anymore and _you_ know it."

"Azkaban has a way of killing the prankster in you. I just don't want to mess this up; I really want to be part of his life Andi. I'll cut off an arm if that's what she wants. I'll live as a muggle if that's what he says I need to do, I don't care what it is."

Upon hearing the man's words the waitress had paused as she was about to set the tea on the table and looked at them. "Crap" she muttered.

Andromeda looked up at her and smiled "You must be Lisa, my name is Andromeda Tonks and this is Sirius Black."

"Tonks, are you related to the pink haired Tonks?"

"That's my daughter; we're here to meet her and Rebecca when they come in."

"Oh good, I thought you might be some of the ones after them. We seem to have become the meeting spot of choice among your crowd." She looked Sirius up and down for a minute before sitting next to Andromeda.

"Now I remember your name. You're Harry's Godfather, which would explain the Azkaban comment."

Sirius had been looking confused by the whole thing "You know Harry?"

"Well yeah, he comes in here a lot lately. He also bakes the best biscuits you'll ever taste. You must be the reason he's not the one making the delivery today."

"Harry delivers biscuits? I thought Tonks said he got a job here baking them."

Lisa laughed "He has to wait until after his birthday to start, but he's been making some at home the past couple of days and bringing them by to exchange for sitting around drinking this tea. Try it, it's his favorite."

Sirius took a sip and his eyes widened "This is good, what's in it?"

"It's a family secret and I have to tell you that Harry's a lot closer to marrying into it than you." She got up with a smile "Enjoy the tea, I'll make sure you get some of those biscuits when they get here." and she went to help another customer.

Sirius watched her walk away before turning back to his cousin "I used to be able to understand what people said to me. You know whole conversations and everything. What happened?"

"What don't you understand?"

"She seems to know a lot but she's a muggle."

Andromeda gave him a sad smile "Remember that muggle boss of Harry's that my daughter said hit Snape?"

His eyes got wide again "You mean?"

She nodded "This is where it happened from what she told me. Lisa and her Aunt and Uncle know all about us now. Her Uncle's the owner."

"And Rebecca is the Mum who's bringing the biscuits?"

"Sounds right, see you understand you just need the small blanks filled in."

"What about the marrying into the family thing, I didn't understand that part either."

She smiled wide "Can you keep it to yourself and not make any comments if I tell you?"

He nodded.

"I think that she might be one of the girls in that line waiting for Harry to pick one."

He looked at the waitress "Damn, that boy really can line them up." The swat on his arm had him look at his cousin again.

"You said you wouldn't make any comments."

"I didn't mean anything bad by it, just that she's a good looking girl. Really, I'm not going to say anything to her or Harry about anything dealing with his love life. I never have anything I say about things like that come out right; they always sound like an insult for some reason."

"That one just did. Just try not to say anything that your mother wouldn't want you to…never mind, that's not a real good way to judge. Let's try this, if that was your daughter and a boy was to come over to date her, what would you do?"

He thought about it for a few minutes before answering "I'd probably try to make sure they got the message that their life expectancy had just shortened."

"Good, now think of the types of comments that you wouldn't want her to hear."

He snorted "Just about anything that comes out of my mouth would qualify."

"That's all right because you can change that. Ted wasn't too different from you when I married him, he loved to have fun and his sense of humor was crude at best. Having Nymphadora come into our lives was the thing that changed all of that. He became more sensitive about what he said and became more responsible about his everyday life and his job.

"Just think about if you had a daughter and what you would and wouldn't say in front of her, use that as your guide."

"James said that having Harry was the biggest change to the way he looked at everything, but the biggest change I saw in him was when he was trying to get Lily to notice him. I almost didn't recognize the person he had become after just one summer."

"People will change if they want something bad enough. You've already started just because you want to be part of Harry's life, keep going with it and you'll probably really like the person you find when you're done."

They heard a loud "Yes" and saw their waitress run to the door where Tonks stood with another woman who was holding a box. She took the box out of the woman's hands and quickly kissed her on the cheek before disappearing into the kitchen.

Rebecca looked at Tonks "Are we sure he's not putting some sort of spell on those things?"

Tonks laughed "If he is she's the only one affected. I think she just had to eat those nasty things they used to have here for too long."

Lisa was back into the dinning area before they had even finished talking with several plates of biscuits and putting them on the tables where the customers thanked her with large smiles.

"Ok, maybe they all had to eat them for too long." Tonks said as she looked around "This place is a lot more crowded than it was the first time we came in."

Lisa came by with a couple of more plates "Biscuit Boy's the reason; we're only this crowded in the mornings when he drops a batch off. The afternoon crowd is the same as it used to be because they're always gone by then. The usual crowd stuck around this morning to wait for the delivery."

She motioned with her head "Come on, I promised Tonks Mum some of these." She quickly led them over to the booth that had Andromeda and Sirius who was currently standing. As soon as the plate was on the table she was gone again.

"That girl can really move when she needs to." Tonks said as she watched Lisa reappear from the kitchen with more plates.

"I'm going to have to watch him bake those things and see what his secret is." Rebecca said with a smile before turning back to the table.

"Hello Andromeda and you must be Sirius. It's nice to finally meet you." She held out her hand and he shook it.

"I'm happy to meet you too. I want to thank you for everything you've done for Harry." He said as he offered her his seat and sat next to Andi.

"I'm happy to help him any way I can, he's changed my life in the last couple of weeks." She looked at Tonks with a smile "I don't think I've ever worried more or lost more sleep in my whole life."

"True, but you get to have some really interesting conversations in the middle of the night. I kind of miss those."

Rebecca laughed and turned back to Sirius "So, how are you handling freedom so far?"

"I think I'm still in shock over the whole thing. I've wanted to walk in Diagon Alley as a free man for so long now but haven't been able to. Tonks little riot seems to have taken the whole place over."

The pink haired witch smiled "All they had to do was fire that reporter and print a retraction, it's their own fault that none of them can get out of the building without quitting first. I hear that the Quibbler's circulation has increased quite a bit since they hired those four reporters who quit when the whole thing started."

Andromeda spoke next "I talked to Bill and Fleur yesterday; he figures that the whole thing would have died out after a few hours if Fleur's father hadn't gotten the French Minister to show up. The real clincher for it was when the Bulgarian Minister showed up with Victor Krum next to him. Bill said that having Fleur and Viktor standing there talking about Cedric and then inviting people who knew him better to do it put the real spine in the crowd. They said that there hasn't been a single mention of Harry so far."

Rebecca let out a breath "Good, I was afraid when you mentioned Krum that someone would be wanting him to show up and talk too. I'd rather he didn't go anywhere near the place until it's over; there are just too many things that could go wrong in a crowd that big."

Tonks put a hand on her shoulder "You know Madam Bones would have all of her available Aurors watching out for him if he had to show up."

Andromeda laughed "Probably goblins too. Bill said he mentioned to his boss that his sister was going to show up yesterday and they had him bring her in to be fitted with a light mail shirt and short sword, they had a contingent of warriors with her at all times. It seems that being honored as a warrior has some benefits because the goblins protect their own. Bill's chest was so puffed out when he told me about it that I thought it was going to explode.

"He said that Ginny's going to be going in every morning to learn how to use that sword and learn more about goblin customs. Apparently when Fudge saw the way she was treated by them he talked with one of the goblin warriors about it, if she wants it she'll have a job as the new ministry liaison when she graduates."

Rebecca had lost her coloring "Now I really don't want him there. He doesn't need to be anywhere he needs goblin mail and a sword. I saw the last time he needed one and he almost died because of it. I also don't want him where he needs that many body guards."

"Don't worry Bill's already got a plan for when they start calling for him, he figures it's only a matter of time since he's the main topic of that article. He and his twin brothers have something they worked up to satisfy the crowd, they plan on doing it later today anyway even if there's no mention of him. He said he'd give Harry's apologies for not being there and that he feels his presence would take the focus away from Cedric where it should be."

"I'll have to have Ginny thank him for me and invite him and Fleur over for dinner." She said as color started to come back to her face.

Tonks changed the subject "Tell them the news about the adoption."

Her face lit up "Mrs. Collins stopped by the clinic yesterday. She showed the commendation and letter from the Prime minister to the judge who handles adoptions. He apparently called a few people he knows in the Minister's office and found out that the letters were real. We have a court date next Wednesday to finalize it. We invited Madam Bones and Susan over this Saturday for dinner to thank her." She laughed "I seem to be thanking everyone these days by having Harry cook them dinner"

"Yeah but he loves it and probably wouldn't have it any other way." Tonks said then looked at Sirius.

"You seem to be awfully quiet."

He smiled "I'm just trying to let it soak in." He looked at Rebecca "I'm glad that the two of you found each other, you really look and sound like you love him."

"I do, I can't tell you how it happened so fast but I can tell you I wouldn't have it any other way. Even with all of the worrying and sleepless nights I've had I've never been happier."

She looked him in the eyes "Can you accept me as his mother?"

"If he's half as happy as you seem to be then it's the easiest thing in the world. That's all I really ever wanted for him and I know that's what James and Lily wanted for him too." He took a deep breath.

"I'm going to go see his parent's resting place on Sunday, I've never had the chance to visit and from what I understand Harry doesn't even know where they are. I was wondering if all of you would like to go with me." He smiled sadly "I admit that part of my reason is for some support for me, I'm afraid to face them alone because I failed Harry so bad."

"I'll check with him and see what he says but I think he'd like that. Can I ask you a question?"

"Anything you want."

"Why did you stop writing to him after the Tournament?"

He sighed and stared into his tea "I keep thinking about that since Tonks and everyone came back that night saying he didn't want anything to do with us. I've come up with dozens of reasons but all of them have been lies. After Andi got me sobered and cleaned up I was able to realize that the real reason was that I was stuck in self pity. I spent so much time trying to get out of that house when I was growing up and then find myself practically imprisoned there that I just kind of shut everything else out except the booze. I know it doesn't excuse what I did but it's the reason.

"Except for the loss of James and Lily all of the memories that the dementors brought up were from that house and I found myself stuck there again trying to find a new way to get my freedom from it." His eyes had a haunted look to them by the time he finished.

Rebecca noticed this as she watched him. "Have you talked to anyone about your time in there?"

He shook his head "I don't think anyone wants to hear about that place."

Andromeda took his hand "It's not for them to hear about it, it's for you to talk about it. We'll sit down when we get home ok."

He just nodded.

Lisa stopped by to see if they needed anything else and noticed the biscuits. "What don't you like Harry's biscuits?" She asked, snagging one off the plate.

Tonks grinned "Two of us get them straight out of the oven." She picked one up and handed it to Sirius "Try this it might help cheer you up. Just one of these getting close to Professor McGonagall's mouth brought her out of a coma."

"Yeah and the fact that you tried to shove it down her throat while she was catatonic had nothing to do with it." Rebecca said.

"At least I didn't do a full body tackle on her like Harry did. I still want to see that memory."

He was looking confused again when he took a bite of it "Bloody hell, Harry cooked these?"

Rebecca and Tonks laughed "That's pretty much the reaction we get from everyone."

Lisa smiled "Uncle says that the best thing he did was not throw 'that shouting lad out when he started threatening people' because he's more than tripled the morning crowd. All of the regulars have started calling him Biscuit Boy and usually clap when they see him come in with that box."

Sirius was starting his third when he asked "I thought he wanted anonymity?"

Rebecca shook her head "He just wants to be known for something he does and not something that his Mum did."

"Something his Mum did? I don't understand."

She had a sad look "The whole Boy Who Lived thing, he remembers the night that it happened and says that it had to be something his mother did because after she was killed he just laid there. He really hates the fame from that night and wants to be known for something else if he's known at all."

"He remembers that night?" Rebecca and Tonks both nodded. He smiled a little "I can think of a whole lot worse things to be known for than these." He said as he reached for the plate only to see the last one disappear. Looking up he saw Lisa chewing.

"Sorry, I'm only allowed to set aside six of them for me so I usually eat the ones I bring Harry." She smiled "Since you're the reason he skipped out today I figured you owed me a couple at least."

"You won't be able to fit through the door if you keep that up you know." A voice from behind her said.

Lisa let out a long sigh "You know I walk all of the calories off just trying to get some to everyone Aunt Amanda. When he starts baking them here I figure I'll be running like that all day and I won't get any during the week when I go back to school."

Her Aunt gave her a stern look for a moment before smiling. "We'll probably have to hire two waitresses to take your place because at my age I know I can't move like that anymore." She looked at Rebecca and Tonks "When you have people meet you have them tell us, we keep that back booth set aside for all of you because it gets kind of crowded now days."

"Thanks Amanda. It's probably a good thing you never liked the quiet life isn't it?"

She chuckled "Before Harry and Tonks came in we were thinking of selling and just starting retirement early. I thank the two of you every night in my prayers for this because I'd have killed my poor husband after only six months without this place to give him something to do."

Tonks grinned "Glad we could help, I'm not sure what I did but I'll take the credit anyway."

"The small crowd we had in here after that first visit was here to see if there'd be a repeat of it. It seems I'm not the only one who likes a bit of excitement from time to time.

"I need to get back to the kitchen; it's nice to see you again."

Sirius had that lost look again "Uhm, what happened the first time here?"

Tonks growled one word "Lupin."

He nodded "Sorry."

Andromeda took over "He's disappeared. He was gone after we got back from the trial and we haven't heard from him since."

Tonks looked at Sirius "I'm sorry, I know he's your friend and I never meant for him to leave. I just wanted him to think about how he treated Harry."

"It's all right; he was this way in school too. He gets too stuck on everyone seeing only the wolf that he forgets there are people who accept it without question. I've told him that being the wolf had nothing to do with your and Harry's anger and reminded him that you were the one pointing out that he's safe most of the month, but he's lived with being the outcast so long I think it's become his only comfort."

Andromeda looked shocked "You actually figured all of that out?"

He grinned "My brain may not work all the time but it does provide me with brief moments of brilliance."

She patted his arm "Very brief, but I think we can work with it."

"So what do you plan to do with the rest of your life?" Rebecca asked.

"I don't really know. I never thought about it before a few days ago because it was just a false hope and I learned in Azkaban not to have any hope. Now I've thought about it a lot and have no idea what to do.

"I was an Auror before but don't really want to do that again, the only problem is that I've been away for so long that I don't even remember much of the training. I was never qualified to do anything else."

"Was there anything you wanted to do as a kid?"

He smiled "Pranks, I wanted to be the owner of Zonko's joke shop. Now I don't even understand most of the pranks being pulled. Hell I don't even really understand the ones that the Marauders pulled when we were at Hogwarts anymore. I think I became the old guy I used to make fun of when I was a kid."

Tonks was thoughtful for a second "How are you at finances?"

"Pretty good, I was trained to take over the family since I was five so most of my life was about making more money."

She grinned "How would you like to be an advisor to a fledgling business, one that might help you understand these new pranks?"

His brow furrowed "Who do you know who would want my name associated with their business. It would have to be someone who's missing a few things upstairs."

"Let me talk to them and see. Do you mind if I mention that you're Padfoot?"

He shrugged "I don't see why not, Andi had me fill out the registration paperwork yesterday so I'm legal now. Why?"

"Just wait, I think you'll be surprised by these guys. You already know them."

"All right, let me know what I need to do."

Rebecca asked the next question "How do you plan on moving on with Harry?"

He looked into his tea again with a sad smile. "The only thing I can come up with is just introducing myself like we've never met. I know that sounds stupid but we've never really gotten the chance to get to know each other and so much has changed since we spoke last that it's like we'll be meeting for the first time."

He shrugged and looked sheepish "It's the only thing I can come up with."

Rebecca smiled "I think it sounds perfect. I know that Harry's big on starting over to clear the past. Would you wait here for a moment?"

He nodded as she got up and went out the door for a minute. He saw her wave through the glass and then wait. A moment later a messy raven haired teen stepped up and spoke to her then gave her a hug that lasted a minute before the both of them came through the door.

Sure enough there was clapping for which the teen flourished an exaggerated bow before following Rebecca to the table.

Sirius smiled and held out his hand "Hi, I'm Sirius Black."

Harry looked at the hand then looked into his eyes before grabbing him in a hug. "It's nice to meet you."

Sirius held him tightly and choked out "It's nice to meet you too."

When they pulled apart Lisa was there and asked if he wanted tea too.

He smiled "I suppose all the biscuits are gone."

She grinned and nodded back as he shook his head "I'm glad the Vulture crowd's still around." He said loud enough for all of them to hear. Then turned back to the door and waved in the same direction that he had come from.

Rebecca's brow furrowed "What's that boy doing now?"

After a moment she recognized the receptionist from the clinic show up with another box that she handed to him then left as he came back in.

The box disappeared from his hand and a quick kiss hit his cheek as everyone gave a small cheer.

He chuckled "Vultures" And returned to the table being seated between Tonks and his Mum.

"You baked more?" Rebecca asked him.

He shrugged "I was kind of nervous so I made three more boxes."

Tonks looked surprised "What happened to the other two?"

He smiled "I think I got lucky to get out of the clinic without losing a hand to all those teeth. I had to protect the last box with my life. Now I have to bake a box for them every morning too, they threatened me with involuntary surgery if I didn't deliver. I did tell them they'd have to work out a deal with Conner as of the first though; I don't think he'd like me just giving them away after that."

A plate appeared only to have two disappear almost before it hit the table. The four of them looked up to see Lisa and Sirius chewing with smiles.

"Are you sure you're not drugging these things?" Rebecca asked as she took one and sniffed it.

He shrugged again "I never thought they were that good, I never got to eat any of them but I was never complimented either. I found the recipe in a cook book put together by first graders in school for a fund raiser."

Tonks stared at him "First graders?"

"Yeah, one year they wanted to take a field trip so they made up cook books with their parents and sold them to get the money for it. The school library had a copy that I read."

All five of the others stared at him "What, it looked like a good recipe."

Sirius laughed "I'd say it is, between these and this tea I don't think I want to leave here."

"Oh that reminds me." he looked at Lisa "Can you tell Conner that he'll need a way to keep tea warm for the clinic? I kind of told them that the biscuits would be a package deal with it after the first. They promise to return the boxes and whatever he comes up with for the tea the next day when they get that order so he'll need enough for two days."

"I'll let him know." She said as she snagged another and disappeared into the kitchen.

Harry looked at Sirius "How have you been?"

"I'm getting better everyday. How about you?"

He smiled "I'm getting better everyday too."

Sirius looked at Rebecca "Can I ask him about Sunday?"

She nodded.

He took a breath "Harry, I've never been to see your parents graves, I'm going on Sunday and was wondering if all of you would like to come with me."

"You know where they're buried?" he asked quietly.

"I found out a couple of weeks ago. I know the area, or at least I knew it back when. I'd like it if you were there the first time I visited."

His Mum and Tonks both had their arms around him and he had some tears in his eyes as he nodded. "I'd like to see them. I don't even know where they are."

"They're in Godric's Hollow, from what I'm told there's even a memorial for them that is only visible to…" he looked around a little then laughed "I guess it's a little late to worry about secrecy isn't it. There's a memorial that only our kind can see."

"Really? Why hasn't anyone mentioned it before?"

"I don't know, I found out from Kingsley who had been by there as a teenager, but no one else seemed to want to talk about it. I have a feeling that Dumbledore was stopping it."

Tonks let out a small curse. "That man just didn't know what the hell he was doing did he."

"At one time he probably did." Harry said quietly.

Andromeda cleared her throat "Let's get away from that topic shall we?"

Tonks smiled "How about food? It's almost lunch time."

"Why don't we all go back to our place and see if Harry can whip up some lunch while I tell him how many dinners he has to cook to thank people?"

A/N: I only had one more chapter planned for this story that kind of wrapped up everyone's current lives followed by an epilog that happened on Harry's 17/18 birthday. That was the original reason for the new birth certificate, to allow him to come of age in both worlds at the same time. The epilog would have left plenty of room to pick the story up again if I had more come to me that I wanted to tell.

Now thanks to a lot of you who have been reviewing, I have more to tell. Thank you.

Since I'm working without an outline now the updates may be a little farther apart than they have been but I'll try to keep them to at least one a week if not every other week.

Right now I see about ten more chapters before I wrap it up because the next portion of the tale would be a few years into the future.

I've read several comments about how some of you would go with this so I'm going to give a challenge which I'll also post on my profile page.

The rules are:

Harry has to give up magic by the time he's 17. Not just give up on the magical world but give up using it all together.

It has to start the summer after Goblet of Fire.

Keep it clean sex wise. I have nothing against lemons and have found several stories here that I've really enjoyed that contain them, but for this challenge please keep it clean. He can curse all he wants; I would curse nonstop if I was him.

That's the rules; you can have whoever you want be good or bad and have any pairings that you want. If you take this challenge please let me know by using the "Send Message" link at the top of my profile page so that I can find them and enjoy them too.

One last thing; I have a pairing that came to mind along about chapter 14 as I reread the whole thing this weekend. You should see it coming in the next few chapters.

Thanks again for reading and reviewing.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: She and they own it.

Chapter 19

Harry was sitting with Andromeda having some tea after having learned a cloths folding spell thinking about everything that had happened in the two weeks since his first meeting with Sirius.

Sirius had taken Tonks and Andromeda to Godric's Hollow and then came back with Tonks to take Rebecca and Harry. They spent most of the day there after visiting James and Lily's graves, with Sirius telling them what he knew of the area and its history in the wizarding world and with the Potter's.

Upon seeing the memorial Rebecca and Tonks wrapped him in a hug as Andromeda did the same with Sirius.

When they had gotten to the markers Sirius had handled the introductions. Rebecca had stood back a little but he gently reached out and pulled her forward.

"This wonderful lady is Rebecca Monroe, and you'd both love her. She's Harry's new mother and I know you'd give it your blessing if you could see them together. It's because of her and Tonks and a few others that we still have Harry in our lives, and it's because of them that he's happy."

One conversation stuck out in his mind the most from that day. The one when he asked about any other friends that his parents might have had.

"Lily's best friend at Hogwarts was Catherine Weldon." He said with a sad smile. "A few days before you were born she and her brother were attacked and tortured. I was part of the team that showed up and fought the Death Eaters. It was a bunch of low level goons and we ended up killing most of them and arrested three. Cath was in really bad shape and Oran didn't make it. She spent a few weeks in St. Mungo's before her parents took her out of the country. Her mind had slipped some and they wanted to get her away from the war.

"I can't really blame them; they had already lost their only son and almost lost their daughter. I know they went to South America and that Lily wrote to her a lot. Your mother said that her letters just rambled at first but were getting better before…well before Halloween."

When he had looked up there were tears in his eyes "I really have to thank all of you for the way you handled getting rid of that psycho this time, we lost so many good people the last time and I don't know if I could go through all of that again. I would almost wish that I could be one of the first to go so I wouldn't have to bury any more friends."

He took a few breaths "I could try to contact her and see if she's still around if you'd like, with the way Lily described her letters I'm not sure that she even knows you were born."

Harry had nodded and said that he'd like that. He'd like to talk with someone who knew his mother as well as Sirius knew his father.

The next thing that stood out was his birthday. His Mum and Tonks had a party for him that had Sirius, Bill, Fleur, Ginny, Gabrielle, Hermione, Lisa, Amelia, Susan, Hannah Abbot, Andromeda, and Ted at the house having a dinner that Bill had cooked while Harry was forced to stay out of the kitchen. Ginny and Gabrielle had baked the cake and it had turned out to be really good.

He was reminded of one gift every morning. Tonks had gotten him five pairs of pink boxers, five pairs of pink briefs and two pairs of what he called pink dental floss. The next morning he found out that she had taken all of his other underwear so that the only thing he had to wear was his new gift.

When he asked her about it she got an evil grin and said that since he wouldn't model them for her she would make it so she just had to catch him in nothing but his underwear.

Harry was finally able to go get a new wand three days after his birthday when the 'riot' had finally ended. Gringotts had called in all of the loans on the paper because they had missed their payment by that time forcing the Prophet to close and hand over the keys to the goblins. The whole business was up for auction and if the rumors were right it looked like an odd little paper called the Quibbler was the top bidder so far.

The Minister had done a good job of rotating ministry personnel so that the government kept running the whole time. With his promise of a large donation to the Cedric Diggory Friendship Scholarship that Bill and the twins had come up with and the demise of Voldemort his popularity was at an all time high.

Harry loved his new job and had started to help Conner with the lunch crowd which had grown considerably. The people from the clinic had started having their lunch at the café when they all found out that was where the biscuits and tea was coming from. They came for the tea and biscuits and found that Conner served excellent food as a bonus. With word of mouth they were almost always full all day long and it had his boss loving life. Lisa on the other hand was counting down the days until she went back to school and could rest her feet.

They had already hired two new waitresses and were planning on a third one just before Lisa left.

But by a far margin the thing that stuck in Harry's mind the most was when he stopped being Harry Potter and the judge named him Harry Monroe.

Harry had already told Sirius what he planned but unlike what he thought would happen Sirius had simply asked him what his reasons were.

"Well, you told me that night we first met that the ones who really love us never leave us." Harry placed his hand on his chest "They're always with us. I finally figured that out, my parents are me and I'm them. As long as I'm alive so are they, within me." he touched Sirius on the chest "They're alive in you too. We don't have to have the name to be a Potter; we just have to live our lives in a way that honors them."

"My Mum was an Evans before she was a Potter and I'm a Potter who will be a Monroe. I really love Rebecca and want to show her how much by taking her name. It's the only thing I can think of that might come close to showing her."

Sirius hugged him "I think I might be able to learn a few things from you Mr. Monroe."

When the judge had asked him whether he wanted to keep the name of Potter or take the name of his new mother he answered without hesitation "I'd like to take the name Monroe if it's all right with Mum."

She had a shocked look on her face as she stared at him standing there looking back with a huge smile. She then looked to Tonks, Andromeda and Sirius who were in the chambers with them and saw that all three of them had the same huge smile that Harry had.

She looked back to him and with tears in her eyes said "Thank you, I'd love that." before he wrapped her in a tight hug.

The judge then looked to Sirius who had been introduced as Harry's Godfather. "Mr. Black, as the only person here who could have a claim against this adoption I'd like to know your feelings about it."

Sirius stood "Sir do you see that smile on their face's?" when the judge nodded he continued "Anything that puts that smile on those face's and keeps it there is the thing I want for them the most. I've spent time with both of them separately and together and can tell you without any doubt that they are Mother and Son." and then sat back down.

The judge smiled "I really like it when things are this simple. This adoption is complete in the eyes of the court right after the two Monroe's sign some documents that we have waiting outside. Let me be the first to offer congratulations to you Miss Monroe and to you also Mr. Harry Monroe."

Twenty minutes later they were headed home to celebrate.

Back in the present Andromeda noticed that Harry had been staring off into the distance for a few minutes.

"Are you ok Harry?"

"Hmm, Oh yeah I'm all right. I was just thinking about everything from the past couple of weeks. It still all seems kind of strange to me."

"How so?"

He smiled "I'm still not used to having a life, let alone one I love."

She smiled "I'm glad you're enjoying it, it's a good sign that things are going in the right direction." She looked at her watch "I should be going; it's almost time for you're tutor to get here."

A knock at the door made them both laugh.

"She's a little early" Harry said as the both made their way to the door. When he opened it he saw Sirius standing there with a huge grin.

"She wrote back and I just got finished with a floo call to her." He was practically jumping up and down.

"Uhm, ok, should I understand what you're talking about?" Harry asked.

That seemed to make Sirius' grin even larger "Finally, I understand a conversation someone else doesn't. Man that feels good, I was afraid that old age was just making the whole thing happen."

Harry looked at Andi who was also grinning. "Let me guess, you understood all of that."

She shrugged "Not the part about someone writing, but that part about understanding was pretty clear for someone who was involved in the first conversation."

"Uhm, all right. How about you just tell me what's happening because I need my brain for Mrs. Wright. She may look like a kindly old lady, but she really knows how to torture someone."

Sirius laughed "Of course she does, it's required learning to become a teacher. I'm talking about Cath, she wrote back and told me to floo call her today. I just got done talking with her and she's going to be coming back to England tomorrow."

Harry was wide eyed "Really? She's really coming back? Did she say why she stayed away so long?"

"Yeah, she's really coming back. She stayed away mostly because of money, it's not cheap to floo that far and even more expensive to portkey."

Harry led the two of them back to the sitting room and they all sat down.

"I have to tell you she's a bit self conscious about her looks. Remember she was tortured by Death Eaters; she has a couple of bad scars on her face and is missing two fingers. The rest of her scars she hides with her clothes but those she can't and she was never any good with glamour charms."

Harry grinned a little "I think I can sympathize a bit."

Sirius also had a little grin "I told her that if there was ever someone who could look beyond scars it was you."

"So what time is she getting here? Where's she going to be staying? What should I cook for dinner?"

"Slow down Harry. She arrives at about ten at the ministry, I already talked to Amelia and she and I will be there to meet her. I convinced her that I had plenty of room at my new place and she was more than welcome to stay there. As far as dinner goes, I have absolutely no idea what most of the things you cook are called but I haven't had anything yet that I didn't like so just fix whatever and I'm sure she'll love it."

"Was she able to afford the trip?"

Sirius shook his head "I'm using some of the reparations for it, it's not like I need the money."

Harry hugged him "Thank you."

"I'm happy to do it; I really want to see her again too. I need to apologize for a lot of pranks I pulled on her. It was one of the things that kept James and Lily apart for so long I think."

Harry gave him a look and he smiled sadly "Not all of us got wise as quick as you did. I was immature and proud of it until shortly before everything happened."

"It's alright to say it Sirius, before the night that they were murdered. We can't move on until we accept it."

Sirius ruffled his hair "See what I mean, you're still a lot wiser than I am. Now, how about I teach you the proper way to skiv off class?"

XXXXXXXX

The next day Harry was nervous as he and his Mum sat waiting for them to arrive. They had been expected ten minutes ago and about every other second Harry was looking at the clock.

"Something went wrong, or she changed her mind." Harry said.

"I'm sure it's nothing, Amelia would have let us know if something happened and you know Sirius would still be here by now if she had changed her mind. She's probably just as nervous about this as we are, that's all." She had no sooner said it and there was a pop in the kitchen.

Harry jumped up "Sirius?"

"It's us. We were delayed a bit by some paperwork." He said as he came into the sitting room with a dark haired woman who was a couple of inches shorter than Harry.

A scar ran from her chin to her ear just above her right jaw line and another went from the bridge of her nose up into her hair over her left eye. She was missing the last two fingers on her left hand and had a scar that started between the two missing fingers and disappeared under her shirt sleeve.

Sirius conducted the introductions "Harry, Rebecca this is Catherine Weldon. Cath this is Rebecca and Harry Monroe."

Harry held out his hand "I'm glad to finally meet you."

She stared into his eyes for a moment before shaking a little "Sorry, I'm glad to meet you too Harry." She turned to Rebecca and they greeted each other before she looked at Harry again.

"I can't believe those eyes, they really are her eyes. I'm sorry I just never imagined I'd ever see them again."

Harry smiled "Its fine, I kind of like them too. My dad's hair I could've done without, but I do like Mum's eyes."

She seemed to take a look at all of him "Merlin, you look like a perfect blend of them." She laughed "I have to agree though, you would have been better off with Lily's hair. Please tell me you got her common sense."

Sirius laughed "He did, a bit of his James' daring but definitely Lily's common sense."

Rebecca asked "Which side does the worry gene come from?" smiling at Harry.

"That one is all Harry, neither James nor Lily worried their parents." Sirius said.

Cath smiled wide "I don't know, when they started dating Lily's parents were caused a lot of worry by James."

"Yeah but by that time she had tamed him."

"Hah, that boy was never tamed; he only learned to act like it. I might have only ever caught you after that but I know he had a hand in the planning."

Sirius smiled sadly "He really didn't, he might have helped come up with the ideas after that but he never knew we were going to use them. He even stopped giving us ideas when Lily told him about that one were Ricky ended up stuck to the ceiling. She thought he was in on it too. He really did grow up for her."

Cath looked at him for a moment "You've changed a lot. Your eyes are different." She frowned "What happened Siri? You still had the pranks in your eyes when I left."

Harry stepped in "How about I get us all some tea? Please sit down."

Sirius offered to help and followed him into the kitchen.

"She doesn't know about what happened to you?" Harry asked.

"No, when I wrote her and when I talked to her I mostly just told her about you."

"Do you think you can talk about it?"

Sirius stiffened slightly "Could you start it? I still can't even talk to Andi about it that well."

Harry hugged him "Sure, how about we get that tea now."

When they returned and everyone had tea Harry started.

"How much do you know about the night my parents were murdered?"

She hung her head "I don't know anything except that they were killed, I didn't even know about you until Siri wrote to me. I wasn't really sane when I left here; when I found out that they were dead I started slipping back into the madness so I stopped checking into it. I still feel myself slipping once in a while when something reminds me."

Sirius took her hand "It's alright Cath. Trust me, I know about the madness."

She looked up at him "That's what I see there. I see some of the same thing I used to see in the mirror."

He nodded "I see it every morning, but I'm getting better. I haven't been free that long and I'm still adjusting." He looked at Harry "Go ahead."

"My parents were hiding under a Fidelus charm and everyone thought that Sirius was their secret keeper. It was Pettigrew; they made him the keeper because no one would ever think he was." Harry took a breath and felt his Mum's hand rubbing his back.

"That Halloween night he gave the secret to Voldemort. Voldemort came to the house and Dad started yelling for Mum to take me and leave. I remember his shouts and the sound of the door being blasted off. Mum came into the nursery to get me but it was too late, she pleaded with him to spare me but he just laughed and told her to step aside and she could live. She didn't and he hit her with the killing curse then hit me with it." his hand automatically went to his hair and lifted it to show the scar.

"Something she did that night caused the curse to rebound and hit him. He lost his body that night but he was still alive." His tear filled eyes turned to Sirius who was also crying. "That's what I remember from that night."

His Mum wrapped him into a tight hug crying with him.

"How…how old were you?" Cath asked

"Fifteen months." Sirius answered "I'm sorry Harry, the only reason the dementors were there was because of me."

Harry shook his head "It's the only memory I have of them, I won't be sorry about having it and I definitely won't ever be sorry you got out."

He turned to Cath "I remember all of that because it's what dementors make me remember and I had a lot of face to face time with them during my third year.

"Sirius came by that night after having checked on Pettigrew and found him missing. When Hagrid took me to Dumbledore Sirius went after the rat who faked his own death in front of a bunch of Aurors making it look like Sirius had killed him.

"He was put into Azkaban for twelve years without a trial and escaped just before my third year started. He's been on the run and hiding out until just a couple of weeks ago.

"Pettigrew was captured when there was an assault against Voldemort and was put under veritaserum which allowed Sirius to finally be free."

Cath went pale "He's back? When…how did he come back?"

Harry saw the fear in her eyes "It's all right he's dead this time, really dead and can't come back again. I swear he can't hurt anyone anymore and most of his Death Eaters who weren't already in Azkaban were either killed or captured. The trials ended two weeks ago and most of them were given the kiss for helping him come back."

"You're s s sure he's really gone?"

Sirius wrapped an arm around her "He's really dead this time. A lot of people came to Harry's aid and they all made that bastard pay for what he did."

"How? I need to know."

Rebecca spoke. "We found out that Harry had a mental connection to him because of the rebound curse. A piece of his soul was inside Harry's scar and a friend of ours was able to use that to find out that there were more pieces out there. Bill and the goblins found them all and coordinated things with Amelia so that she could attack him at the same time that all of the soul pieces were destroyed." It was Harry's turn to hug her as she started crying again.

He continued for her. "The attack happened early; I could see everything through Voldemort's eyes and hear him. I fought him to keep him from killing Madam Bones. When Bill and the goblins destroyed the last soul piece she had over a hundred Aurors kill him. He's really dead this time."

Rebecca sniffed then gave Harry a light tap on the back of the head "What did Tonks tell you about telling stories? You have to tell all of it." She looked at Cath and Sirius with tears still falling from her eyes but with definite pride.

"Harry was the last soul piece. It was moving in him trying to get away from the ritual and he was fighting it at the same time he was fighting Voldemort. He was cursing and taunting him and when he was the last one he said "I'm your last hope, how's it feel to have no hope.'" She sniffed again "When the soul piece was killed Harry's scar burst open and he almost bleed to death. He came to enough to impress the goblins by walking out of Gringotts."

"Shite" Cath said. "You really fought him?"

Harry just nodded and received another tap to the back of the head.

Sirius was pale "Harry has fought Voldemort four times now. After hearing that one I don't think I've heard the whole story for any of them."

"We'll have to wait for Tonks, she and Amelia are the ones who saw all of his memories. She can tell you about it better than I can and much better than Harry will."

"How can you not have some of the madness? How?" her voice was almost desperate.

"I have a lot of it; I'm just good at hiding it sometimes. Earlier this year Tonks came into my life and brought Mum and Amelia with her, they saved my life when I had given up. They've driven some of it away. Almost every night it comes back but Mum and Tonks have really helped me. Mum's lost a lot of sleep sitting with me talking when I wake up screaming."

"I know what it's like to wake up like that and I'm glad I'm one of the ones who can be there for you."

He gave her a kiss on the cheek then looked at Cath "Madness and loss is pretty well known here, if you need some people who understand what you've gone through everyone in this room does and is willing to listen."

Rebecca turned to Sirius "That goes for you too. Both of us understand nightmares and Harry certainly understands living them."

Cath looked at Sirius "You left a lot out of your letter Siri."

"Well I couldn't put his whole life into one letter, there's too much to tell."

"Can I ask about that name? I've never heard anyone call him Siri before." Harry asked.

Cath smiled "I call him that for the same reason he calls me Cath, we hated those names as kids and used them to get on each others nerves and now we can't seem to call each other anything else."

Sirius laughed "I kind of like that name now. I'd forgotten all about it until Harry asked about Lily and James' friends, it's really good to hear it again."

"How many others have you met?" She asked him.

"Counting the two of you and not Wormtail, three."

"Really? I know Lily had a lot of friends during and after school, why haven't you met any of them?"

He looked at Sirius who answered "That's a question that's been asked before. None of us know why no one ever came to see Harry. The only one we know who has a good reason so far is you."

Harry took over "You and Sirius are the only friends they had that I really want to know right now."

"Why? Some of them were really good people."

It was Rebecca who answered "Harry's life hasn't been good. Aside from having Voldemort continuously trying to kill him and Dumbledore doing his best to help, Harry's life is still one that no one should have to live."

"Dumbledore what?"

Harry sighed "This will take a while, why don't I fix us some lunch before we start."

They all went to the kitchen and while Rebecca and Harry made some sandwiches Cath asked Sirius what he was doing now that he was free.

He hung his head and coughed a little making the two cooks laugh.

"It's respectable Sirius and you know you'll be good at it." Rebecca said.

"Siri with a respectable job? He became an Auror because he thought it would get him women, what're you doing now?"

Sirius mumbled something and Harry threatened him with no dinner.

"I'm going to be a shopkeeper."

The look on Catherine's face made Rebecca and Harry laugh again.

"There's a little more to it than that." Rebecca explained "He's one of the partners in a new joke shop that's going to be opening a branch in Hogsmeade the last week of November and another one in Diagon Alley next summer."

"I'm still not sure how that happened. I just went in to look over their plans and next thing I know I'm being told that for a thousand galleons I can join Harry by owning a quarter of it."

"I'm what?" Harry asked wide eyed.

Sirius looked at Rebecca who said "Oops."

"What do you mean oops?"

Sirius cleared his throat. "The twins knew you wouldn't take a percentage for that money you gave them and really wanted you to have it. Since you're a minor I had Rebecca sign the papers for you. I swear we weren't trying to trick you; we just wanted you to have a percentage and were going to surprise you with it. If it makes you feel any better about it the twins insist that twenty percent of the profits go straight into the scholarship before anything else happens."

Harry looked at his Mum who shrugged looking sheepish "I just wanted you to have some security for the future and their business plan looked good."

"It should, Bill's had the goblins helping with it. That along with how brilliant those two are at inventing things make that place a really good investment." Sirius said.

"Are you mad?" she asked Harry.

He looked between them for a moment then hugged his Mum "No, it's nice to have someone who does something good for my future." He gave Sirius a hug "Thank you both. Tell those two that I'm really mad though and that I'm going to come looking for them. That should keep them on their toes for a couple of weeks."

"Now tell them how mean _you_ were to the twins Sirius."

He got an evil grin "Bill overheard them talking about quitting school because you did and asked for some help." He shrugged "I made them swear to not only stay in school but to also outstanding as many NEWTs as they could and anything less than three outstandings was grounds for both of us pulling out. They agreed to it."

Cath started laughing as Harry cringed causing Sirius to look between them wondering who he wanted to ask first. He settled on Harry because Cath was laughing to hard to talk."

"Why did you cringe? It's not that bad, they really need to finish school before starting this thing full time."

Harry shook his head "I think it's a brilliant, but if Mrs. Weasley ever finds out you did that you know your going to get a hug."

Sirius went wide eyed with a look of pure horror.

"What's wrong with a hug?" Rebecca asked.

Harry hugged her "Nothing's wrong with a hug, I really like them, but Mrs. Weasley's hugs break ribs and spines."

Sirius was just pointing at Harry and nodding because nothing would come out of his mouth, causing Cath to laugh even harder.

Sirius looked hard at her "What are you laughing at?"

She took a few moments to get herself under control before she said "You" and started laughing again. They all waited until she could breathe again and only had an occasional giggle come out before asking her to explain.

"Siri, why did you stay in school after you ran away from home?"

He hung his head "Mother and Father Potter told me they'd kick me out if I didn't."

"That's right, and the thought of you blackmailing two kids into staying is almost as hilarious as you meeting your demise by your own line. 'It was only a hug.'" She started laughing again as he got a grin.

"I'd forgotten all about that, it got me slapped more than any other line I used."

Cath shook her head "I think it was your placement of those hands during the hug that got you slapped."

His grin got bigger "No, it definitely had to be the line. They were all upset that I pretended to not notice where my hands were and slapped me because they really wanted my hands to be there. After all no woman can resist the touch of Sirius Black and…

"They'll line up just in hopes that I'll reach out and touch them, making all their dreams come true." The two finished together.

"Merlin I hated that arrogance when I was a kid." Cath said.

"I was a real arse wasn't I?" Sirius said.

Cath took his hand "I wasn't much better with my whole 'I'm above everything' attitude."

Sirius looked at her "How the hell did we never end up killing each other?"

They stared at each other again before getting grins.

"Lily and James" said Cath at the same time that Sirius said

"James and Lily"

She shook her head "It's brains before beauty and since she was the only one with either she definitely comes first."

Sirius thought for a moment "Ok, I can't think of any fault with that logic. She beat him in both with out any trouble."

Her jaw dropped "Siri's using logic, now I know the end is near."

"I have several people who are working very hard on making me a thinking person and only one who's bound and determined to undo all their work."

"Who?" Cath asked.

"Rebecca, Harry, Andi and Amelia are trying their best to train me to use my brain and Tonks is trying to turn it to mush."

"Who is this Tonks I keep hearing about?"

Sirius answered her "You remember Andi's daughter Nymphadora?"

"Yeah."

"She hates the name Nymphadora and wants to be called Tonks."

"She'd be what, twenty now?"

Sirius shook his head "Her birthday is in three days when she turns twenty two." He looked at Harry "What are you getting her?"

"I'm not telling that would spoil the whole thing. I do need someone to break into her place and take a few things though, you willing?"

"Sure, what do I need to take?"

Harry grinned "Every set of underwear she owns."

Sirius sputtered for a second as Rebecca laughed and said "What sort are you getting her?"

Harry leaned over and whispered into her ear and Cath and Sirius watched as her eyes slowly widened.

"Oh, that's brilliant. She'll never expect that one." She turned to Sirius "I'll help with the break in."

"What's this all about?" Cath asked.

"Tonks got me a set of pink boxers a few weeks ago and has pestered me about modeling them for her. On my birthday she gave me a bunch more pink underwear and a couple of pink strings that she calls underwear and then stole all of my other underwear so I had no choice except to wear the pink ones." Harry explained.

"So what are you getting her?" Sirius asked.

Harry just shook his head "You'll like the look on her face when she gets it even more if you don't know."

They served lunch and Rebecca and Harry listened as Cath and Sirius went back and forth about their years at Hogwarts until she asked.

"What ever happened to Severus? I could never understand Lily being friends with him and was happy when she finally told him to get lost."

Harry cleared his throat "He was killed a couple of weeks ago."

Cath stared at him "There seems to be a lot that happened a couple of weeks ago can anyone fill me in?"

Rebecca and Harry shared a look before Harry explained his summer with his Mum filling in the blanks he left.

When they were done Cath was pale and asked "Dumbledore was really trying to kill you?"

Both Mother and Son looked at Sirius who answered "I was there with a whole bunch of other people when he admitted it. Several of them had to hold me down until he finally left and then they tied me to my bed so that I wouldn't go after him. Turned out to be a good thing too because Amelia had about twenty Aurors waiting for him."

"But Dumbledore was always fighting against Him, why was he doing it?"

Harry answered "None of us know and now have no way to find out. I personally think that he lost his mind somewhere along the way while sucking one of those lemon drops. He certainly acted like his brains went to the next life ahead of him."

Sirius shook his head "I think it was when you lived after James and Lily's murder. Remember after Bill hit him and you broke his wand and hand he kept saying that it was your destiny and that only Voldemort could kill you? I think that even with the soul piece he thought that it was necessary to restore some twisted balance or something. He thought you had to die because you lived. The old Dumbledore would have stopped at nothing to save a single life, he would have found out about the goblins ritual to help you."

There was a pop in the corner causing Sirius and Cath to jump. Harry and his Mum both said "Hi Tonks" without looking up.

"Wotcher everyone." She said as she came over to the table and took her seat while grabbing a sandwich.

Sirius again did the introductions and Cath had a huge smile as she shook Tonks hand.

"You've really grown up Dora. The last time I saw you, you were still playing with dolls and thought getting a pony would be the best present in the world."

Tonks grinned and nudged Harry "It still would be the best present." She nudged him again "Hint, Hint."

He just smiled back "Sorry, you should have said something sooner because I already have your present."

"Really, what is it?"

"I can tell you part of it. You and I are going to spend the day wandering around again. I'm taking you to lunch and a movie and the rest of the day is up to you as long as we get back in time for me to make dinner."

Tonks frowned "I have to work that day though."

Harry said "Yep, Madam Bones thinks that for the day I might need my bodyguard again so she's putting you back on my protection detail."

She squealed as she grabbed Harry in a hug.

"You have to thank her because part of that is your reward for helping Mr. Weasley catch someone; she mentioned something about regurgitating toilets so I don't think I want the details." Harry said.

Tonks shuddered "You don't, some people are just disgusting. So how's the reunion going?"

Rebecca answered "We've been filling Cath in on what's happened in Harry's life. We need you to tell it because you saw all of it."

Tonks' grin became evil looking as she looked at Harry "Still telling stories your way huh? Well where do we start?"

Sirius sat up straighter. "The beginning because I think I've missed some of the details."

Tonks laughed "If Harry told you about it then you did." And she started telling them the story.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: Please see previous nineteen disclaimers, if they're not clear I can't help you.

A/N: I'm posting Chapter 21 right after I post this one. When I started writing I just kind of kept going and ended up with a 10,000 word chapter so I split it in two.

Chapter 20

The past day and a half had been tiring for Rebecca but she hadn't been doing anything different from any other day.

She had watched Harry get up early both mornings and study for a couple of hours before fixing them breakfast and leaving for work. He worked a full day yesterday and was doing the same today to make up for the one he had off when Cath came back to England and for the one he was going to take off for Tonks birthday.

He was also working on completing all of the assignments that Mrs. Wright had given him for the next two weeks. It was his way of trying to keep her happy when he was going to be missing so many tutor sessions because of the days off and the full days at work.

Watching him study until midnight both the night that Cath and Sirius had come over and last night left her more tired than if she was the one doing it herself.

She was just finishing her session with Ginny who had changed a lot during this summer's holiday.

When Rebecca had first met her she had been trying to appear strong and confident even though she had been scared of everything that was happening at the time.

Over the past month she had watched as this girl had slowly begun changing into the young lady she had tried to make everyone believe she was.

Going through the ritual had showed her that she had strength she didn't know was there. It had proven to the girl that she didn't need to act strong because she was strong.

Her training with the goblins had done something else for her, it showed her that she could take whatever was thrown at her and not break. The goblins trained the way they fought; it was always life and death. They had safety measures in place so that no one died during training but the injuries were expected to be dealt with by force of will only. You took your licks and kept fighting or you went home disgraced.

Ginny was not going to go home in disgrace and the fact that no wizard had completed goblin combat training since Godric Gryffindor himself and that no witch had ever even started it before just made her even more determined.

The girl that Rebecca had first met was now a strong and confident young woman, and she said she had never been happier.

"You're still coming over for Tonks party tomorrow night right?" Rebecca asked her as they were leaving the office.

"Yeah, and so is Gabrielle. It's her last night here; her parents are coming to pick her up the day after so she can get her things for school."

Rebecca noticed some sadness in her voice "You're going to miss her aren't you?"

Ginny nodded "It's been nice having someone close to my age around to talk to. I have another friend who lives close by but we don't seem to have anything in common any more. It's been like having a sister."

She smiled really wide "But I get to go to her place in France next year for the whole summer."

Rebecca groaned "Two beautiful young ladies loose in France, no boy will be safe."

Ginny giggled "That's the idea."

They got to the lobby and said their goodbyes along with Fleur before Rebecca went back to her office.

She had just sat down at her desk when Fleur burst through the door.

"Ginny just saw someone named Malfoy and his friends enter the café. She said that we need the Aurors right now."

Rebecca paled and pulled her wand sending off two messenger spells as she ran from the office and out into the street. She barely registered that her patronus had changed into a bird and wasn't her normal colt that it had been for years.

As Fleur and she came up to the café she noticed that Ginny was now wearing her mail shirt and was strapping her sword onto her back.

"There are seven of them, I recognized Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Nott, and Parkinson before they were all inside" Ginny said as they came together a few feet to the side of the windows.

"I sent messages to Amelia and Tonks to get some Aurors here. We can't stand around and wait though."

Ginny nodded "Don't plan to. I'll take the center with Fleur on my right and you on my left. Stay back at least four feet from me; I don't want to hit you by accident."

Rebecca shook her head "I'll go in first…"

"This is goblin mail and a goblin made sword, they absorb most spells except for really powerful ones and it still helps protect me from those some. I go first to draw their fire or you won't make it three feet."

"She is right; Bill says that it will protect her so we should use her plan." Fleur said.

Rebecca nodded knowing they didn't have time to argue about it. "All right, let's go then."

As they moved past the windows to the door time slowed down for Rebecca. Each step seemed to take several minutes to complete.

She looked through the window as they went by and everything in there seemed to be moving in fast forward. She saw a sickly shade of red shoot out of a blonde boy's wand towards Harry.

She knew that spell somewhere in the back of her mind but couldn't make the name come forward. Ginny went through the door followed by Rebecca who immediately went to the left and started firing stunners at the boy with pale blonde hair.

Fleur came through the door after Rebecca and moved to the right but couldn't find anyone that she could get a shot on. She saw Ginny move like no one she had ever seen before but it prevented her from getting a target.

Ginny moved with a grace and beauty that seemed out of place with what she was doing with those movements.

With one step her right arm moved upwards and to the left followed by another step away to the right and her arm moving down in that direction. Next she crouched down slightly and spun with the sword extended before jumping into the air swinging the sword upwards in one direction followed by it coming down in another.

Each of her swings leaving a red line of blood across each target in various places.

Fleur saw movement towards Ginny's right and fired a stunner hitting a boy and dropping him. She then scanned for anyone else outside of Ginny's range and found all seven were down and Rebecca was already kneeling next to another person on the ground.

Ginny pulled her wand and stunned the three she had wounded and checked the other two to make sure that she had killed them then also turned towards Rebecca and lost all of her color.

Around the eighth person on the ground was Rebecca, Lisa and another woman that Ginny had never seen before and Rebecca was trying to stop the person from quickly bleeding to death.

Rebecca desperately tried every spell she knew to stop the flow of blood coming from Harry then looked at Lisa and Mary, the newest waitress.

"What did the blonde say when this happened?" She asked.

"He said a lot of things about…" Mary was interrupted.

"The spell, Lisa, did he say a spell?"

"Yeah, secti something."

Rebecca went even paler "Sectumsempra?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah, I think that was…" she watched as Rebecca had Harry in a hug before she finished the word yeah and disappeared with a loud pop before she got to that.

Ginny stood looking at the pool of blood where Harry had been laying before spinning and drawing her sword as she heard a groan. Seeing Malfoy starting to wake up she walked over to him with her sword hanging from her right hand.

"What is Sectumsempra?" Her voice was beyond ice.

Malfoy gave a sneer "He's dead and when I get free so are you bitch."

Ginny got closer to him as there were multiple pops outside the café. She flicked her arm up the left side of Draco and down the right.

She leaned in closer to him as his arms fell from his body.

"Kill me now, bitch." Then she turned to the opening door and was ready to face whoever it was.

More than a dozen Aurors came bursting through with Tonks in the lead and Madam Bones bringing up the rear.

"Ginny what happened?" Tonks said as she surveyed the bodies on the ground.

"I don't know, I saw them come in the café from the clinic and had Fleur get Rebecca. We came in and did this but they had already gotten Harry." unshed tears were in her eyes.

Tonks turned to Lisa who was crying "What happened Lisa?"

"They came in and that one" she pointed at Malfoy "started yelling for Harry. When Harry heard him he came out and tried to get them all to go outside." She started crying harder "He…he said it was so that more people could watch them kill him."

Ginny spoke again "They said it was Sectumsempra…"

"Shite" came from Madam Bones "Where is he?"

"Rebecca disappeared with him when she heard what it was" Ginny said while still holding in her tears.

"Tonks take Ginny, Fleur take Lisa, they're at St. Mungo's. We'll take care of everything here and I'll join you."

A peregrine falcon appeared in front of Ginny "We're at St. Mungo's, hurry."

Ginny sheathed her sword and grabbed Tonks as Fleur grabbed Lisa and they all disappeared.

Mary looked around "What the bloody hell just happened?"

Conner stepped forward "New memories?"

Madam Bones nodded "Take your wife to your office until I come get you."

He just nodded and turned back to the kitchen as Amelia said to her Aurors "It was a knife fight and Harry tried to stop it, he got cut really bad in the process. He's been taken away by ambulance already. You six take these back to the ministry and get them into holding cells or the infirmary if they need it I want three guards on each of the ones in the infirmary. You, take these two to the morgue, everyone else obliviate. Now go."

XXXXXXXX

The four ladies burst through the doors of St Mungo's and rushed to the head of the line at the desk with Tonks waiving her I.D.

"A woman came in a moment ago with a teen boy who was bleeding badly. Where did they go?"

The lady behind the desk pointed "Room six."

Tonks took off with the other three right behind her.

As they came into the hallway they saw Rebecca pacing in front of a door and ran to her.

"What's going on, where's Harry?" Tonks asked.

Rebecca looked at her for a moment with tears flowing down her cheeks. "He's in there, I don't know if I got him here in time"

Tonks paled "What do you mean; you were able to stop the bleeding weren't you?"

Rebecca shook her head "I can't heal…I never learned how to heal…it was Sectumsempra. I never got that far in my healer training. I never thought I would need that training anymore. I don't know if he's going to… to…"

Tonks grabbed her into a tight hug "He's going to be all right. He has to be all right."

Ginny sat hard into a chair and put her face into her hands still trying to hold back the tears.

Lisa didn't even try, she wept openly as she sat next to her.

Fleur had her arms wrapped around herself looking like she was in shock. She was the first to speak.

"I need to tell Bill." She said quietly as she turned towards the lobby.

Rebecca recovered slightly "Wait Fleur, I can do it. Who else besides Sirius and Cath?" She asked as she sent messengers to the first three.

They quickly put together a list and sent messages to all of them except two.

Fleur said "I will get Gabrielle and let the rest know what has happened."

"I'll get Hermione," Tonks said as she went to leave "I don't think she knows where this place is."

"You know where she lives?" Rebecca asked.

She nodded "I was one of the ones to go to her house and take her to headquarters."

Lisa sniffled "Will someone bring Aunt and Uncle?"

Rebecca put her hand on the girls shoulder "If Amelia doesn't then someone will go get them, I think she'll bring them with her though."

Lisa just nodded and when Rebecca looked up again Tonks and Fleur were gone.

XXXXXXXX

Sirius sat in his new sitting room with Cath while drinking his new favorite drink, Root Beer.

One afternoon he had been really craving firewhiskey and went to his cousin for some help. When she saw his shaking hands they went to the refrigerator and she started pulling out drinks and handing them to him to taste.

When she handed him the one that had beer on the label he raised an eyebrow "I'm trying to stay away from alcohol Andi."

She smiled "There isn't any in there. It's American I think and Ted loves the nasty stuff."

He shrugged and tried it. His eyes had gotten wide the moment the liquid had touched his tongue. "Wow, that's pretty good. Are you sure there's no booze in it?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Would you like me to get you some?"

He just nodded before taking another drink causing her to shake her head.

"I don't see how the two of you can drink it but if it helps I guess I'll hold my opinion."

He always had a large supply of it in his house now.

Cath and he were talking about the type of furniture that he wanted for the room they were currently in. He had gotten Harry's help with the kitchen and Andi's help with all of the other rooms but had left only the two borrowed chairs in the sitting room.

A bird appeared in front of each of them "Harry's hurt, we're at St. Mungo's." they both said at the same time.

Sirius paled and dropped his drink while jumping up and starting for the door.

"Siri!" Cath yelled. When he stopped and looked at her as she continued "Take a breath, you don't need to splinch yourself to get there."

He took several deep breaths as she took his arm and led him out the back door. When they got there she took his face in her hands and looked into his eyes and only saw a vacant expression.

"Siri, you need to snap out of it, it's probably nothing really bad."

He shook his head "Rebecca's a healer, if Harry's at St. Mungo's its bad."

Cath stared at him a moment and almost whispered "I need you to be all here Siri, I can't go to that place without you being there to help me."

His eyes started to focus "Shite, I'm sorry Cath. I didn't even think about that, I'm sorry."

"It's ok, you're worried about Harry, but he needs you all here too ok?"

He nodded and took her arm in his "Ready?" she took her own deep breath and nodded before they disappeared.

XXXXXXXX

Bill was listening to Defthand as the goblin told him about another aspect of the Horcrux spell while he was taking notes when a large bird patronus appeared in front of him and Rebecca's voice spoke to him "Harry's in St. Mungo's, Ginny and Fleur are here with us."

He stood and looked at Defthand who nodded. "Go." was all the goblin said and Bill was running through the halls of Gringotts to get to a spot to apparate.

XXXXXXXX

Hermione was studying one of the new text books that she had picked up after Diagon Alley had reopened.

She had talked with a few of the tutors that Professor McGonagall had recommended and found that she really didn't take to any of them. Then about three days after she had resigned herself to having to go back to Hogwarts for the year Professor McGonagall had shown up at her door.

"I've heard that you're having trouble finding a suitable tutor." She said once she and Hermione were seated.

Hermione nodded "I just didn't feel any of them were right for me Professor."

Professor McGonagall smiled "I may be able to help you with that. I'll be having some free time in a couple of months and was wondering if you would consider me for your tutor."

Hermione stared at her open mouthed "How can you have free time? You just became the Headmistress."

Minerva's smile became a sad one. "It was pointed out to me recently that Albus wasn't the only failure as a teacher at Hogwarts. All of us are to some extent or another so I went to the board and asked them if they would help me look for a replacement Headmaster or mistress from outside the country."

She sighed "I think it's the only way to fix things without firing everyone and starting over."

Hermione's mouth worked but she just couldn't make anything come out.

"Calm down Miss Granger, it's not the end of the world."

Hermione took a breath "What do you mean someone pointed out that you were a failure, you're my favorite teacher?"

"He didn't really say I was a failure as a teacher, just as a caregiver to the children at Hogwarts. We've all failed you Miss Granger by not making Hogwarts a safe place free of prejudices. We've turned a blind eye to the things going on there and it's time all of it stopped."

Hermione bit her bottom lip for a few seconds and her eyes went wide again "Harry."

Minerva smiled and Hermione continued "How could he say those things? You couldn't have stopped Dumbledore."

"It wasn't Albus that myself and all the other teachers should have stopped. How many times have you been insulted by a student or Professor Snape?"

Hermione thought about it for a moment then nodded. "I see his reasoning, none of that should have been allowed."

"No it shouldn't have, and you shouldn't have had to put up with ridicule just because you're intelligent. Harry didn't tell me to resign, he just told me what he had seen happening in our school and how he felt about it."

Minerva sighed "It's time that Hogwarts became a premier school again and I'm afraid that for that to happen I have to leave her. The most likely candidate for the Headmaster's position is from Canada and he's been teaching for forty years at one of the most progressive magical schools in the world.

"It will take time for him to change things but I feel he can bring a positive impact to that castle and hopefully restore her to her glory as she deserves."

They had talked about how things might change at school and what sort of subjects Hermione would need to continue while being tutored. Hermione had invited her to stay and speak with her parents to work out the details of the fee but that she was sure they would accept it.

Now Hermione just had to study on her own until the new Headmaster got his feet under him and Professor McGonagall had gotten him sufficiently knowledgeable about the castle. She wasn't opposed to this and was finding that she was moving through the course work that Minerva had suggested quiet quickly.

As she turned the page the doorbell rang and she went to answer it finding a tear streaked Tonks standing there.

"What happened, is it Harry?"

Tonks nodded "He's at St. Mungo's; I came to take you there if you want to go."

Hermione ran to the phone and dialed her parent's dental clinic and after a moment of explaining things to her father she ran back to Tonks.

"I'm ready to go; my parents will meet me there." Tonks took her hand and they apparated.

XXXXXXXX

Rebecca was pacing in front of the door waiting for the healers to come out and tell her something, anything, when Sirius and Cath came into the hallway.

"Rebecca, how is he?" Sirius asked.

"We don't know yet, the healers are still in there."

A pale Catherine asked "What happened?"

She shook her head a little "He was at work, he was just trying to make up for the days he was missing to try to help out. They didn't have to do this, why would they do it?"

Sirius grabbed her in a hug "Shh, it's going to be all right. Tell us what you know."

He didn't release the hug even as she started talking again "Some kids, one of them was Malfoy, went into the café and Malfoy hit Harry with Sectumsempra."

Sirius paled "How…how long was it before you got him here?"

"Only a couple of minutes, I swear it couldn't have been more than that, but they've been in there for a long time now."

"What happened to Malfoy and the others?" Sirius' breathing was becoming a little more pronounced.

"I don't know, I left with Harry, I had to get him here."

Sirius finally released her and handed her to Cath before looking at the other two people sitting there.

"Can either of you tell me what happened to Malfoy and the others?" He was practically growling.

Ginny and Lisa both nodded and Lisa spoke "Rebecca, Fleur and Ginny got them. Ginny had a sword and was cutting all of them with it." She looked at the other girl for a moment and received a nod from her.

"Ginny cut both of the blonde boy's arms off."

Sirius looked at the Weasley girl "Malfoy?"

She nodded "He was happy about what he did to Harry."

Sirius had an evil grin "Good girl, what happened to them after that?"

"Madam Bones and Tonks showed up with a bunch of Aurors and told us to come here because that was where Harry was brought by his Mum."

He drew his wand and looked at the hall entrance when he heard running feet headed their way. He released a breath when Bill came through the door and spotted Ginny sitting there.

Sirius backed up to allow him to hug her and for her and Lisa to start the explanation over again and he went back and sat on the other side of Rebecca as Cath.

Over the next several minutes Andromeda, Ted, Hermione, and Tonks showed up all receiving the same explanation from Ginny and Lisa before Tonks came over to them and Sirius got up and gave her his seat next to Rebecca. It wasn't until Gabrielle showed up that Sirius tensed again and had his hand on his wand.

Catherine noticed and whispered "What's the problem?"

"I won't put up with her crap, not today and not here. If she opens her mouth I'll have her in one of these rooms with her own healers."

Cath looked around and saw a several redheads walking into the hallway behind Gabrielle and Fleur.

Arthur looked at his daughter then whispered something to Molly who just nodded and took a seat before he came up to Rebecca and the other two.

"How is he?"

It was Sirius who answered "We don't know yet."

Arthur nodded and looked at Rebecca "If you need anything just ask."

Rebecca looked up and said thank you.

He gave her a small smile "We thought of Harry as one of our own, so it's us who should be thanking you. You've helped two of ours."

She just nodded and he went over to his daughter and oldest son and received the explanation about what had happened.

It was another ten minutes before the healer came out bringing everyone to their feet.

"Who are his parents?"

Sirius pointed at Rebecca "She's his mother."

The healer stepped closer to her "We've gotten the wounds to close but I don't know yet if they'll stay that way. The Sectumsempra will sometimes reopen for up to twenty six hours after they've been closed the first time.

"He's lost a lot of blood and our restoratives don't seem to have much effect on him which means that the spell had a lot of power and hatred behind it. We've already given him half of the maximum safe dosage for a twenty four hour time frame. We don't want to give him all of it incase the wounds do reopen; we'll have some way to hopefully help him with any further blood loss.

He took a breath "We weren't able to get the dittany to work fast enough; he'll have some bad scaring the rest of his life. I'm sorry, I wish I could tell you more right now but for the time being we can only watch and see what happens."

Tonks sat back down hard with a blank stare on her face. Sirius looked at Rebecca who was just standing there looking at the healer with the same expression as Tonks. He took her by the arms and helped her sit back down.

He then turned to the healer "Thank you. When will we be able to see him?"

"I could let some of you in at a time; maybe four if you're all quiet and don't try to wake him."

Sirius nodded "Can we set up two chairs? I'd like it if these two could stay with him and the rest of us will come in by twos."

The healer nodded "I don't see a problem with that; it would help having people he loves with him."

Sirius thanked him again before looking back at the two ladies "We'll get you some comfortable chairs set up so you can be there when he wakes up. He'll need to see your faces when he does. If you need anything just ask whoever is there with you at the time, all of us will be happy to get you anything you need all right?"

Rebecca looked at him for a second "Thank you Sirius."

He just smiled at her then he and Cath helped the two ladies up and into the room where a very pale Harry lay with bandages wrapped around most of his torso. He conjured a cushiony chair on each side of the bed near Harry's head and he led Tonks to the one on the far side while Cath led Rebecca to the closest one.

Once they were seated Sirius spoke again "We'll give you two a half hour with him before anyone else comes in. I should be able to hold them back until then."

They both said thank you and he took Catherine's hand as they walked back out into the hallway. Once he was there he found that people were already sitting in pairs and they all looked at him expectantly.

He sighed and received a squeeze of he hand "I know all of you want to see him but we'd like to give them some time with him first. We'd like a half an hour before everyone starts going in. We'll go in for fifteen minutes before giving someone else a chance. I'd like Ginny and Lisa to be the first to go followed by Hermione and Gabrielle then Andi and Ted and Bill with Fleur. After that we'll just play it by ear with Cath and me going in and out as we can. Is that all right with everyone?"

Molly spoke first "That's fine Sirius; if you need anything please let us know."

He smiled at her "Thank you Molly, and we will. I've also told Harry's Mum and Tonks that if they need anything to just ask whoever's in there at the time. If they need something during your time just poke your head out and let us know. We'll get it so you can have your time with him uninterrupted."

Catherine whispered to him and he got wide eyed "Oh hell, I'm sorry." He looked at every one "I forgot that not everyone knows each other. So…" he went through introductions and had almost completed them when he looked up and saw Madam Bones come through the doors with Conner and Amanda.

He sighed and looked at Cath "I knew there was a reason I had forgotten, now I have to start over."

She smiled at him and gave his hand another squeeze "It's a good thing you like to talk." She leaned in and whispered "Take your time with them, it will give everyone something else to think about and also allow Rebecca and Tonks more time alone with Harry."

He smiled back "I always knew there was a prank worthy side to you."

Madam Bones took up a position in front of Ginny "Please, I beg you, tell me that you took Malfoy's arms during the fight."

Ginny just stared at her with her back straight, not giving an inch but not saying a word.

"Damn it Ginny, I need to know what happened."

It was Lisa who spoke "She'd be in a lot of trouble if he had lost his arms somehow when the fight was over, wouldn't she?"

Amelia sighed but didn't break eye contact with Ginny "Yes, she would be. The problem is that we have a bunch of muggle witnesses who say that he was on the ground without a weapon when she did it."

"They've been oblivited haven't they?" Lisa asked.

"It's obliviated and yes they have."

"All of them?" she asked again.

Amelia let out another sigh "Yes all of them, why?"

"Well then you can't find out if they were in shock or not. I know I was the first time all of you showed it to me. I was the only one in the room for the whole thing that had ever seen magic before so I was probably the only one who wasn't in shock seeing it."

Amelia started to grin "Could you tell me what happened in the café?"

Lisa smiled a little "I saw Ginny come into the café with Rebecca and Fleur and they started trying to protect everyone who was there from this Malfoy and the others. Some time during the fight Ginny's sword took off one of the blonde's arms, he turned wrong and his other arm was caught by the sword. Ginny was looking at someone else at the time and didn't even see it happen."

Madam Bones stared at her for a moment "I have to ask you if that's really what you saw."

"Yes it is, I don't know what everyone else saw but that's what happened."

Amelia looked at Ginny "Is this what happened to the best of your recollection, bearing in mind that while a person is involved with a fight their minds sometimes don't process every detail of it?"

Ginny gave Lisa a smile before nodding "I can't really remember the fight very well, it all happened kind of fast and it seemed to be a blur to me."

"Now, why did you use a sword instead of your wand?"

Ginny gave a humorless laugh "No offence because I know it wasn't you who did it, but the ministry has already prosecuted one person who was only defending themselves this summer. I don't plan on being the second. I might not be allowed to use magic outside of school but there are no laws against swords."

Amelia nodded "A good reason. They can't seem to get Mr. Malfoy's arms reattached; can you tell me what they need to do?"

Ginny's grin could be mistaken for nothing less than pure satisfaction "There's nothing you can do, it's a goblin made sword. You can heal the wounds but they will always have scars just like what they did to Harry."

Madam Bones sighed "Thank you both for your statements." She turned to Sirius "How is he?"

A/N: My reasoning behind picking the peregrine falcon as Rebecca's new patronus is because of the ones that live in Siberia. They work to protect their not only their young but also the young of a small species of goose from the artic fox, by protecting the young of the goose they protect their own. I thought this was fitting for her since she's not only protecting her son but Lily and James' son also.


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry and company, except the ones I do own.

Chapter 21

After Sirius had told Amelia what they knew about Harry's condition and then went through the introductions again he asked Madam Bones if she could stick around for a minute while he checked on Rebecca and Tonks. After receiving a positive answer he and Cath went back into Harry's room.

Both of the ladies were holding one of his hands and Tonks was smoothing his hair. Neither of them seemed to even notice the newcomers to the room or the two healers who sat quietly in the corner.

He placed a hand on Rebecca's shoulder "How are the two of you doing? Can we get you anything?"

She smiled at him "We're ok. Thank you for handling everything. I don't think I could right now."

He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze "Thank Cath, she's the one who stopped me from losing it when we got your message." He looked over at Tonks who hadn't even looked up at them; she was still gently stroking Harry's hair.

"Tonks?" he got no reaction "Nymphadora?" he said quietly and still got nothing. He walked around the bed and knelt down next to her.

"Hey girl, you doing ok?"

She slowly looked at him for a second before looking back at Harry. "Yeah, I'll be ok." Her voice was so quiet he almost didn't hear her.

Sirius sighed "Are you guys ready for others to come in?"

Rebecca answered by nodding.

"We're going to have Ginny and Lisa come in first then Gabrielle with Hermione. I have a feeling that if any of them are going to break down when they see him it will be those four. Cath and I will be just outside the door if anything happens ok?"

She nodded again "Thank you Sirius."

He nodded back then placed a hand on Harry's leg "You get better Harry" he said softly "You still haven't taught me how to not burn my eggs and I'm getting tired of toast for breakfast." He gave the leg a gentle pat and took Cath's waiting hand again without even thinking about it as they went out the door.

He looked at Ginny and Lisa for a second "They're ready for everyone else now, go ahead. If you need some help with this let us know, we'll be just outside here."

They both nodded and entered the room, Sirius looked at Cath "Damn that girl looks mean with that sword on her back." before they turned back to the others and Madam Bones.

"How did they find him Amelia? Have you been able to find out if it's just them or was there someone else behind it?"

"We don't know anything yet, the only one who isn't in the infirmary is Gregory Goyle and he doesn't seem to know anything except that they were going to get Harry as revenge for what happened to their fathers.

"We have identified one of the dead, he's Walden Macnair's little brother. He was too young to be a Death Eater during the first war. We're still trying to figure out who the seventh person is."

Molly asked quietly "Was it Ginny who killed them?"

Amelia looked at her for a second "Yes."

Fleur went over to her "Ginny was magnificent. She took charge of the whole thing and led us when we attacked them. It was because of Ginny that none of the rest of us was injured."

Madam Bones was nodding "That matches what we were told by the witnesses. They said she had most of them on the ground bleeding before they even knew there was another fight happening."

"Ginny did that?" one of the twins asked.

"Oui, she did."

Sirius smiled at their expressions "I don't think you want to try your pranks on her anymore, do you?"

They both shook their heads.

"I think"  
"She just"

"Received another"

"Lifetime pass on"

"Testing."

Amelia turned back to Sirius "Can I do anything here?"

"No, I think we can handle things, we'll tell you when something changes."

"I'll head back to the ministry and see if I can find out more, I'll let you know."

After he nodded she headed to the lobby and he turned to Bill.

"Can you stay by the door for a bit in case they need anything? I need to take care of something real quick."

Bill answered yes and Sirius went to the lobby still holding Cath's hand and went to find an empty room. Once they did Sirius fell to his knees and broke down. Catherine knelt down and wrapped her arms around him.

After about ten minutes he straightened up a little and wiped his eyes. "Sorry."

"For what?" Cath asked gently.

"I know you need me to keep it together but I…"

"It's all right Siri, you've been wonderful. I'm doing better with being here than I thought I would because you have my hand."

He gave her a small smile and took her hand again "Thanks. We should probably get back there."

She nodded and helped him back to his feet before leading him out the door.

When they got back they found Ginny in her father's arms and Lisa being held by her Aunt. Hermione and Gabrielle weren't there. They walked up to Bill and Fleur who were talking with Andi and Ted.

"You ok Sirius?" Bill asked.

"Yeah, I just needed a minute. How are the girls?"

Bill looked at them "I think they'll get through it."

Andi asked "How was Nymphadora?"

"She's in shock I think. She didn't even glare at me when I used that name."

She looked at the ground for a second "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

They walked down the hall a ways with Sirius still holding Catherine's hand. When they stopped Andromeda looked at their hands then back to them.

"Are you two together?"

Sirius looked down at their hands and received a squeeze he had a small smile when he looked back up. "We're giving each other some strength. She's holding me up right now."

Andi nodded "I think I need to tell you about something but I need you to stay calm until I explain it."

"She's in love with him isn't she?" Sirius asked.

Her eyes got wide "How do you know?"

"I saw the same look she gets when she looks at Harry before. James used to get it when he looked at Lily."

Andi let out a breath "She's talked to me about it; she won't do anything because of his age and she thinks that he and Lisa are going to get together."

Sirius motioned towards some chairs and they all sat "From what I've seen Lisa has found a brother that doesn't annoy her, the Harry she wants is the one he is when Tonks is around."

They sat silently for a minute before he spoke again "He's sixteen by law now so next year he's legally an adult in the wizarding world, it's only two years before he becomes one in the muggle world."

"So you're saying that she should go out with him? No matter what that paper says he's still really fifteen."

Sirius shook his head "You've spent a lot of time with him lately, if you didn't know better how old would you say he is?"

She thought about it for a minute "I wouldn't be able to say. His body doesn't say the same thing as his eyes or the way he talks. He looks like any other teen unless you look into his eyes; they're older than he is."

"He's seen and done too much to be a kid anymore Andi, no matter how much he wants to be one. I wish more than anything that I could take him back and give him a happy childhood but I can't. All I can do is try to help make him happy now. He loves his life with his Mum but he's really happiest when Tonks is around. Watch him next time the two of them are together, that's when he's at his youngest. All the rest of the time he's an adult who's just trying to make it to tomorrow."

She stared at him "You are saying that they should start dating."

"No, I promised I wouldn't interfere in is love life in any way and I won't. What I'm saying is that if they were to start dating I wouldn't be opposed to it. I'm not the problem with them getting together though."

"Rebecca?" Andi asked.

"No, she loves Tonks so much she turned her office into another bedroom for her and has a chair at the table that no one besides Tonks is allowed to sit at." He smiled a little "She was the only one that the wards around the house had been altered to let apparate in until I was bringing Cath by. Cath is the reason they were altered for me. No, I think she would welcome them dating."

He was silent for a second as he stared down the hall at the door his godson was lying behind.

"The problem is Harry. Other than Tonks and his Mum who else has he let in? No one is as close to him as they are and he still tries to keep some distance from them. He's afraid of being hurt again and has put up barriers to help him cope if it does happen."

Andi was staring at him again "How do see that? He seems to let them in on everything he does and even what he's thinking and feeling."

"I recognize it. Until a couple of days ago I was doing the same thing. I wouldn't even let Remus back in because it would hurt to bad when it was all taken away from me again."

She looked at Catherine and smiled a little "I take it you're the reason?"

"I don't think so; I think there are three people that Sirius and I can thank for helping us. Rebecca and Harry told us about the talks they have when he wakes up from his nightmares. They told us that it started with Tonks talking to him the first night he was at her place."

She gave Sirius' hand another gentle squeeze and received one in return "Those talks seem to help a lot when you wake up in cold sweat."

The door to Harry's room burst open with Hermione and Gabrielle being pushed out by a healer causing Sirius to jump up and run to them.

"What happened?"

A pale tear streaked Hermione answered "He started to bleed again, they made us leave."

Sirius pushed the door open a little and looked in. Rebecca and Tonks were standing against the far wall holding each other with fear on their faces.

The healers were pouring dittany on Harry's wounds; it looked like it wasn't working. Sirius heard one of the healers say they were going to need more.

Shutting the door he spoke "Fred, George, find another healer and tell them they need more dittany quickly. I want it here before they need it."

The twins took off running as Sirius started moving everyone else away from the door. "We need to clear the way just in case, I don't want them to have to wade through us if they need to come out."

He looked at Bill and spoke quietly "Can you keep everyone calm?" Bill nodded and said yes "I'm going to go see Rebecca and Tonks."

He went through the door with Cath and walked close to the wall to stay out of the way of the healers. One of them looked like he was going to run them back out until Sirius spoke.

"There's more dittany on the way." The healer just nodded.

When they reached the ladies Sirius and Cath just separated and took up position on each side while wrapping an arm around them. None of them said a word as they watched the healers work.

It was only another couple of minutes when the door opened and two more healers came in with bottles in their hands and joined the other two at the bed.

After another ten minutes, one of the healers stepped over to them.

"We've gotten them to close again and gave him the rest of the restorative. We're going to start bathing the wounds in dittany every hour to try to prevent them from opening again. We've never tried it before so we aren't sure it's going to work but we don't want to just do nothing because he can't take any more blood loss."

"What do you mean he can't take anymore?" Sirius asked.

The healer sighed "If he loses anymore blood we'll lose him. He can't have more restorative for at least twenty four hours. That's why we're going to try bathing the cuts every hour."

A pale Sirius thanked him before leading Rebecca back to her chair and putting Harry's hand in hers while Cath did the same to an almost comatose Tonks.

"Rebecca, we're going to let the others know what happened. Can we bring you anything?"

She shook her head "I need Harry back. We need to go shopping for Tonks birthday dinner. He says he has a new recipe that she's going to love and needs the ingredients."

He put his arms around her and took a couple of breaths to control himself. "He's going to come back. He's not about to miss her birthday is he?"

She shook her head again "He's been looking forward to spending the day with her again. I think he misses just wandering around with her."

Tonks showed some signs of life for the first time as she started to cry "I miss those walks too."

Rebecca seemed to come around a little when she heard Tonks voice. She looked at Sirius "I think we'll be all right, thanks. If the healer says its ok you can let the others start coming in again."

Sirius nodded and turned to the healer who spoke before him.

"It's alright if they start coming in again, please just let them know that they'll have to leave if something happens again. We can't afford to take the time to answer questions if his wounds open again."

"I'll make sure they all know it. Thank you." His hand reached out and found the feeling he was starting to miss.

The two of them walked out the door and into a flurry of questions. Sirius noticed that the O'Connell's and the twins were gone and there were two more adults there. He assumed it was Hermione's parents since they had their arms around the crying girl.

He held up his hand and everyone started to quiet.

"They were able to close his wounds again and gave him some more potion. They're going to try bathing the cuts in dittany every hour to hopefully stop them from opening again but right now they don't know if it will work. If something happens in there again they need you to leave the room quickly and hold your questions until they're done. We can start going in again now."

He looked at Gabrielle and Hermione and spoke gently "I know you didn't get your full time in there but I'd like to ask you to let Andi and Ted go first and then Bill and Fleur. I want to have some adults with Rebecca and Tonks right now to help them. I'll make sure you get your time with Harry after Bill and Fleur ok?"

Both of them said yes and he thanked them before turning to the mentioned adults and drawing them off to the side before speaking quietly.

"They're both in shock really bad right now. Could you see if you can get them to talk a little? Try to draw them out of it if you can?"

Ted was the one to answer "I think we can do that. Now what aren't you telling everyone?"

He looked at Cath who nodded "Harry can't have any more blood replenisher until this time tomorrow. If he bleeds anymore he'll die and both of them know it." He wiped the betraying tear from his eye.

Bill put a hand on Sirius' shoulder "If you need to take care of something again go ahead, we can handle things here for a while."

He smiled "Thanks, I think I'll be good for a bit longer." He looked at Cath "How are you doing?"

She gave him another squeeze "I'm ok, I've got my hand." He smiled and squeezed back.

"How about we see if we can find everyone something to drink?"

They started walking towards the lobby as Andi and Ted went into the room. Sirius noticed that Hermione was being held tightly by the new woman with the man rubbing her back and made a detour for them.

"Are you all right Hermione?"

She shook her head "I'm sorry I ask so many questions."

His eyes widened a little "What?"

"I'm the one who started asking questions when they wanted us to leave. I'm sorry, I don't really know when I start doing it, it just happens."

He gave her a smile "Its all right Hermione, I wasn't trying to chew anyone out or anything. The healers just wanted everyone to know that they'll answer questions after they help Harry is all. Don't think you need to stop asking them."

He looked at Cath "I think I could have avoided a lot of detentions if I'd asked more questions in school. Like who's the prefect on duty right now. That one alone might have given me twice as much free time."

She smiled at him "I had ways of finding out when you were going to pull a prank and made sure I was on duty when you did it. I loved giving you detention."

"You knew each other in school?" Hermione asked.

Sirius chuckled "We are probably the two biggest reasons that it took so long for James and Lily to get together. I kept them apart by pulling pranks with James and Cath did it by catching us and convincing Lily we'd never grow up."

Cath spoke next "We should have just went into an empty class room and hexed each other to bits; it would have let both of us have more sleep. I was always running around that castle trying to find them in the middle of the night. They had a way to just appear in a spot that I had just looked in."

"I think you can be let in on our secret now. You can't give me detention any more. Hermione, would you do the honors of telling the real secret to sneaking around Hogwarts?"

Hermione smiled "James had an invisibility cloak."

Cath's jaw dropped "How do you know that?"

"Because Harry has it now and we've used it a lot."

Her Dad cleared his throat "Do I want to know why you were using something that I'm assuming makes you invisible?"

Her Mum answered "It's not for that, but you still don't want to know. I've heard all about it so you can relax."

Sirius asked Hermione for some introductions and received them. When she introduced Catherine she said "I'm sorry I don't remember hearing your name before today."

Cath gave her a sad smile "I haven't been in the country since Harry was born."

"Can I ask why?" Hermione was a little hesitant.

Sirius leaned in "Do you want to talk about it? I could tell them if you don't want to."

"No, I think I can do it." She looked at Hermione "The last time I was in this country I was a couple of floors up from here with these scars being healed and having just lost my brother. My parents took me to South America because I wasn't really sane anymore.

"By the time my mind had started to settle a little I had been gone for over two years. Then I found out that I had lost my best friend by the same people who had killed Oran and I started losing my sanity again."

She leaned on Sirius for a moment "Siri wrote to me a few days ago and told me about Harry, I had always figured that he had died with Lily and James if he was even born. When we talked on the floo he offered me a chance to come back and meet Lily's son. I arrived two days ago.

"I think seeing those eyes again has helped me move on a little. It's helps to know that something of her is still around and even more so that it's Harry." She finished.

Sirius smiled as he looked at the people coming into the hall seeing the O'Connell's and the twins carrying some tea pots and cups. One of the twins had a familiar looking box under one arm.

"Special blend?" he asked when they got close.

"Do you think I'd bring anything else for the lad? I won't have him waking up to hospital tea if I can help it." Conner answered as he looked around "We need a table though."

Molly who had been coming to find out where her sons had been heard this and quickly conjured a table for them.

Amanda thanked her and the two ladies seemed to take over setting everything up and Molly started heating the tea pots. Lisa came over and opened the box, she slowly started to put biscuits onto the plates as tears started to flow again.

Richard Granger looked at everything going on and said "Doesn't the hospital have a cafeteria or something?"

Conner grinned "I had enough hospital food to last the next three lifetimes when my Amanda was going through cancer treatment. No, these are the lad's biscuits that he baked this morning, he'd never let me hear the end of it if all of you had to eat hospital biscuits."

Sirius and Cath each took a cup and went into Harry's room.

"Rebecca, Tonks? Conner and Amanda brought some tea and biscuits. Would you like some?" He asked when he was next to Harry's Mum.

She looked up and smiled "Yeah, that'd be nice." and accepted the cup.

He looked at Tonks and smiled a little to see that she was responding better as she too accepted the offered cup.

"We've been having an interesting conversation about some dating possibilities." Rebecca said.

Tonks smiled "It seems that Rebecca doesn't think to highly of cradle robbing."

"I'm just saying that I think Harry might need to wait a couple of years because you just aren't quite old enough for him." Rebecca said with a larger smile.

Tonks laughed softly "He'd be a very old man if he waited for that."

Sirius looked at Andi who looked resigned "It was the only thing that got through to her. When I said it Rebecca said that it would be nice if the two of them got together, it would make it easier for her to play with his underwear."

Sirius chuckled as Tonks blushed.

Rebecca leaned in close to him and whispered in his ear. He nodded "Do you need anything else?"

"Thanks. I don't think so."

He nodded as he stood "We'll be back in a bit then." He looked at Harry for a second then found that feeling in his hand again and turned to walk out the door to find Amelia waiting for him.

"Sirius we need to talk."

He nodded and they walked down the hall a bit before she started again.

"We've found out that they weren't alone in the attack. We still don't know who else is involved but we know there are only four of them. I've got some Aurors in the lobby that I want to leave here until we catch them."

Sirius was shaking slightly "Find them fast, I don't want to go back to that place."

"What do you mean Siri?" Cath asked.

It was Madam Bones who answered while staring into his eyes. "He means that if we don't find them he will. Sirius you need to stay here, I really don't want to have to explain to Harry why I arrested you."

"I've had enough of these people coming after him and if I have to I'll kill all of them so that he can have some bloody peace." He was growling.

Catherine turned his face towards her with her free hand "Give her a chance Siri the attack didn't happen that long ago. You've seen it yourself; everyone is looking to you right now. You need to stay with them, not go after these people. Didn't you just tell Harry's Mum you would go get something for her?"

He was looking into her eyes and his breathing was getting calmer "Yeah, she wants me to pick up Tonks present from Harry."

"Why don't we let Amelia set up her Aurors while we go and get it?"

He nodded and let her lead him towards the lobby, when they reached Bill they told him they'd be back and left.

Bill turned towards Madam Bones "What's going on?"

She sighed as she saw every face turn towards her. "We know they weren't alone now, there are four others involved but we don't know who yet."

Bill looked in the direction that Sirius had gone "Shite, we need to catch him."

Amelia grabbed his arm "He's going to Rebecca's house to pick something up for her, that's all. He'll be back in a few minutes."

"Are you sure?" Arthur asked "He has a tendency to run after the people who hurt the ones he cares about."

"I'm sure he's going to be back in a couple of minutes and he'll stay here with Harry. I'm posting some Aurors outside the hallway until we catch them." She looked at Ginny "I don't want anyone trying to find these people, let us do that."

Ginny slowly took her hand off of her sword and Molly came up to her and said something in her ear to which she shook her head.

"If there's more out there then I'm going to keep it on."

Molly just looked at her husband who nodded back.

"All right dear." Molly said before going back to Arthur.

Bill looked over at his youngest brother and Hermione who were talking quietly, from the looks on their faces it wasn't going to stay that way for very long.

When he got to them he had Beth Granger beside him.

"What's going on?" Bill asked.

Hermione sighed "Ron's mad at me because I'm not going to go back to Hogwarts this year."

"Yeah well both of my friends are just leaving, how would you feel?"

"I know how it feels Ron I felt the same way when I was told that Harry wasn't going to be going back. Ron all we do is fight, if I go back then we'll both be miserable because we won't be talking to each other because were mad. I don't want to fight with you all the time."

Ron looked at the ground "We don't fight all the time."

"Because Harry usually stops us, without him there we won't stand a chance at being nice to each other. I'll always be harping on you to do you're homework and you'll always be doing something to irritate me. We just can't help it Ron."

Ron chuckled a little "I'm going to have to do my own homework, aren't I?"

Hermione smiled "You know you can Ron, you might even get better grades if you're not spending so much time trying to get me to do it."

"So have you decided on a tutor or school yet?" Bill asked.

Hermione nodded "I've found a tutor, but I can't say who it is yet. If you read the Quibbler on Monday you'll be able to figure out who it is."

A hand on his shoulder made him turn and see Andromeda standing there.

"It's you're time."

"Thanks. How are they?"

Andi smiled "If my daughter starts to slip back ask her about when she's going to be old enough to date."

Bill's brow furrowed "I thought she was old enough now."

"Rebecca thinks she needs a couple more years for the guy she wants. Trust me it will get her out of her slump."

Bill just nodded afraid that if he asked any more questions he'd just get more confused and headed into the room with Fleur.

Cath and Sirius came back in carrying a large gift wrapped box and went straight into the room only to come back out with a grin.

He looked at Catherine "Who should we take with us?"

Cath looked around "Warrior girl and her friend, that way I have some help while she holds that poker on you to make sure you don't peek."

He nodded and went over to Ginny and Gabrielle who were talking together and whispered something to them before going to his cousin and whispering to her. When she nodded he walked over to Molly and Arthur.

"We need to borrow these two for a little bit to do something for Rebecca." Seeing the look on Molly's face he quickly explained "It's nothing bad I promise. Tomorrow is Tonks birthday and Harry had something planned as part of his present. We want to finish it for him is all and they can't get into any trouble for it."

Arthur put his hand on his wife's shoulder "That will be fine, just please be careful."

"We will, I promise." With that the four of them left the hospital together.


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: Does anyone actually read these disclaimers or is it just for some word count padding?

A/N: The conversation about the blood was supposed to be in one of the last two chapters and somehow didn't make it. Sorry 'bout dat.

Chapter 22

In the hallway at four in the morning the only ones who were still awake were Bill and Arthur Weasley, Amanda O'Connell and Beth Granger. Everyone else had found a position in their chair that while maybe not comfortable at least let them fall asleep.

Beth saw Sirius and Catherine come out of Harry's room looking like they had been up a week longer than they had been.

She stood and went to the table with the tea and poured two cups to hand them. Molly Weasley had explained the permanent warming charm that she had put on the pots to keep them warm all night.

Once the two of them were seated she took the tea to them.

Sirius gave her a small smile "Thanks."

"It's no problem. How are they?"

Sirius sighed "They're finally asleep; both still holding his hands so tight I don't think even magic could separate them." He took a sip of tea before continuing "The healer that's in there now ran a scan on Harry. She said that he's getting a little better and that the blood replenisher is starting to speed things up some."

Beth looked at him for a moment "What's that mean, we would have just given him blood to help I don't understand why they wouldn't."

He looked at Cath who answered "Witches and Wizards have a magical core that is what gives us our magic but it flows in our bodies through the blood. With the restoratives our bodies produce the blood itself. It keeps the blood familiar with the magic or something like that because everyone's magic is different."

Beth nodded "Like with an organ transplant, there'd be a chance of the magic rejecting it like a body can reject a new kidney or heart."

"That sounds right. I went through something similar with the blood loss that Harry is except that my wounds weren't ones that could reopen on their own and the spells used on me weren't fighting it, my body was. I had to have the maximum dosage when I was brought in and for some reason my body wouldn't let it work. The healers apparently thought it was because of the trauma to my magic. A couple of the spells used on me were ones that affect the core in different ways."

She felt the now familiar squeeze on her hand and got a small smile "I'm ok Siri."

Seeing the confusion on Beth's face she explained "I haven't really talked about what happened to my brother and me. It still starts to make me withdraw a bit so I've been going over it slowly with Siri. I never would have thought it would help to relive something like that."

"Why would they do something like that, I mean I know it would hurt you, but how if you don't mind me asking?" Beth asked.

"I don't mind. From what my parents said there were two used on me. One makes the core harder to reach and use, it constricts on it slowly until eventually it just chokes it out. It's kind of a variation of the spell that parents use on their children if they have really violent episodes of accidental magic except that it's stronger and can really hurt when it's removed."

She took a couple of deep breathes "The other one made the magic flow easier so that you don't have to concentrate as much to get a spell to work. Sounds like something that everyone would want but it's erratic and you can't tell when the magic will work easier so you end up putting too much power behind them or not enough.

"The two spells were working against each other and putting a lot of strain on my core. It made my body feel like it was on fire the whole time. The healers took three days to remove them. My Dad said that they were afraid to take one or the other first because once the counter balance was removed the other one would be overpowered.

"They were feeding off each other and getting stronger by using my magic. If they had removed the block first my core might have exploded. If they had removed the other one first the block could have crushed my core. So I had to wait three days until they were able to remove them together."

She was staring at the far wall blankly until she felt that squeeze, she looked a Sirius with a small smile "Thanks" She turned back to Beth.

"Until a few days ago I would sometimes wish that they had let it kill me. Now I'm glad they didn't. Seeing Harry makes those years worth it." She snorted "Seeing Siri act like an adult almost makes it worth it even if he is trying to corrupt Harry."

Sirius smiled "I can't even get him to skiv off class properly. He actually asked for more homework to make up for the days he would miss. I gave him a good way to get out of work and he volunteers for more. All of my years of perfecting being lazy are going to waste."

Cath laughed "It seems that he's corrupting you more than you are him. Even when we're just sitting around talking part of you is thinking about that shop and how to make it a success."

He looked at the sleeping twins "Those two kids have their entire lives staked on it. I just can't let it fail because they've put too much into it for that to happen. They're even going to be the major source of funding for that scholarship and believe it or not that's what's driving them right now. They want to send at least three kids to Hogwarts by the start of next years first term with just their funds and are hoping for at least two more with other donations."

The other three people awake had been listening, Arthur got a smile.

"When Bill told them why Harry didn't want that money they started putting more time into coming up with the scholarship than inventing. I think the only thing they've created since then are what they call a portable swamp; throw it on the ground and you get a large swamp. I have no idea who would buy anything like that but it really is something to see."

Bill was staring at him "They have a way to create a swamp? How long does it last?"

His father shrugged "The one they tested by the pond is still there so at least two weeks."

Bill grinned "I may have a buyer for it. Goblins lived in marshes before we forced them underground, they hate it down there claiming that we're trying to make them into dwarves. I'll have to get one from the twins to give them as a sample and see if they like it."

"I thought they always lived underground, that's why they're such good metal smiths." Sirius said.

"No, they used to buy their metal from the dwarves to make their weapons and jewelry, they didn't start mining it themselves until they had to live in caves to survive."

"Here" a voice said quietly from the side. When they all looked over to it they saw one of the twins starting to sit up and reach into his pocket. He pulled out a small disk and handed it to Bill.

"Don't drop it in a spot you don't want to have to clean up. If they like it we have about twenty more ready."

Bill smiled "How much are they?"

He looked at Sirius who asked "What do the materials cost and how long do they take to make?"

With a shrug he answered "Materials are about two galleons for each and I think we can get production down to ten every twenty minutes not counting curing time."

"Four galleons sounds about right. If you can get the production down a bit more we could go three a piece."

The twin just nodded as he yawned. "Ok." He curled back up in his chair to go back to sleep.

"I think we may have to talk about some more employees to help them with production or they'll never get any sleep at Hogwarts." Sirius said as he stared at the two of them.

Cath smiled and lay her head on his shoulder "Yep, Harry's definitely corrupting you."

He smiled "You're just tired and seeing things."

A very tired looking Madam Bones came walking in and it was Amanda who got up to get some tea this time.

After thanking her and taking a sip she spoke "We've caught one of the four and you can tell Rebecca and Tonks that a couple of CAA's were used. That guy won't be walking right for a very long time. It's sad to say but I'm glad he fought back."

Both Bill and Sirius cringed.

"It seems that they're all relatives of Death Eaters out for revenge. None of them were targeting Harry specifically it was just bad luck that they found him at all really."

She yawned "Sorry. Anyway they staked out several homes of ministry personnel to plan attacks on them. Nott had your house Arthur. He saw Ginny leaving at the same time everyday and decided to start following her. From what they said it took him a week to finally find where she was going. He spotted Harry at the café the day before yesterday and they put together their plan quickly. They wanted to kill a bunch of muggles with him to start their other attacks."

"Who's the leader?" Arthur asked.

"They don't really seem to have one; they're just a group with a common goal and kind of put things together as they go. I've got teams out looking for the last three now. I just gave the Aurors here their descriptions so they know who to watch for."

"Is Susan in any danger?" Bill asked.

She shook her head "I sent her to the Abbot's and have two Aurors watching over them. You're the last family I needed to notify because I knew none of you would be at home. I still have a couple watching your place just in case."

"Thank you." Arthur said as he let out a breath.

Amelia took another drink "Is there any change here?"

Sirius nodded "He seems to be getting better. The healer said that it looks like the restorative is starting to work."

"Do they have any idea how long it will be before he wakes up?"

"They don't know for sure but said that if it was before noon they were going to put him back to sleep to give his body more time to heal. They don't want him to move around at all until at least then." Sirius told her.

She chuckled "I wish them luck with that. It might be easier for them to just stun him."

Sirius shook his head "Tonks says that since the last time he's more careful, that last one seems to have scared him because he's got something to live for now. If his Mum tells him not to move or to take a potion he'll do it without question."

"That's actually good to hear…"

Several wands appeared in hands as they heard the sound of running feet coming towards them. An Auror came into the hall full tilt and made a straight line towards Madam Bones to whisper in her ear.

Her eyes narrowed "How many?"

"Three they're all in the infirmary now and they said they'll all survive."

Amelia let out a breath "What happened to the suspects?"

The Auror looked around at the people sitting there.

"You can talk in front of them so answer the question."

"They're all dead. After they hit Smyth with that cutting curse we all started using lethal spells Ma'am."

Madam Bones nodded "Good, you did the right thing." She turned back to the others "That's the last three. I need to go see the Aurors in the infirmary."

"Thank you Amelia." Sirius said.

She just inclined her head towards him "I'll leave a couple of Aurors here just in case. We haven't been able to question Malfoy yet because of the potions he's on and I want to make sure there's no more out there before I pull them. Let me know if anything else changes. I'm going to take a nap after I visit the infirmary."

Sirius chuckled "Slacker"

Amelia smiled and gave him the finger as she walked away.

Cath lifted her head off his shoulder "What are CAA's?"

Bill and Sirius cringed.

XXXXXXXX

Ginny had woken about six that morning and found Gabrielle already awake, they talked for a moment then checked with Sirius about going into Harry's room for a bit. They found him talking with Fleur and Conner and had Catherine asleep with her head on his shoulder. He had said yes and to just keep it down so they didn't wake Rebecca and Tonks.

They had been in there about twenty minutes whispering about what sort of things they would be doing in France next summer when both Rebecca and Tonks sat straight up and each stared at the hand they were holding.

After another moment they looked at each other quickly before staring at Harry's face. Everyone held their breath as they watched him start to slowly try opening his eyes.

Ginny leaned over to Gabrielle and whispered "Tell the healer and I'll get Sirius." With a nod they separated.

When she got to Sirius he and Cath had changed positions and he was now asleep on her shoulder.

"Sirius?" Ginny said and got nothing from him. She gently shook his shoulder and repeated his name a little louder still getting nothing.

Cath got a grin and said in a lower voice "That will be three nights detention Mr. Black."

Sirius shot up "But I didn't do anything." Everyone awake started laughing as he blinked and looked around.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Ginny answered "It looks like Harry's waking up."

Cath was on her feet and towing a still blinking Sirius into the room as he said thank you to Ginny.

"Don't move around Honey, you need to stay as still as possible." Rebecca was saying.

Harry's lips moved a little but nothing came out.

Tonks grabbed a pitcher of water and filled a glass then put it to Harry's lips. He drank all of it quickly then gave her a weak smile "Thanks" he said in a hoarse whisper.

He looked at his Mum "How many were hurt?"

"How many what were hurt?"

"The people, they were going to kill all of them. How many did they kill?"

Rebecca smiled "None, except for the ones that did this, you were the only one hurt."

Harry's brow furrowed a little "How?"

"Ginny saw them go into the café so we were able to get there before they could do anything to anyone else."

His nod barely moved his head at all "How long have I been asleep?"

Rebecca looked at Sirius who answered "About sixteen hours, just a short kip."

Harry looked at his Mum as she said "I'm glad you finally woke up." She had tears starting to fall down her cheeks.

"I promised you I would Mum."

She leaned in and kissed his forehead "Yes you did, didn't you?"

Harry slowly looked at Tonks "Sorry I messed up your birthday."

Tonks gave a small smile while tears threatened to fall from her eyes too. "I'll just have to make you give me my day with you twice to make up for it."

Rebecca spoke "I had Sirius bring your box for her and complete the rest of the present. Would you like to give it to her?"

Harry's half smile appeared on his face "Yeah."

Sirius walked to the corner behind Rebecca and picked up the box brining it to Tonks who eagerly ripped the paper off of it. When she opened it she found two smaller boxes inside with 'open first' written on one of them.

When she did she started laughing as she found a bunch of granny panties with a note on top.

_If you don't like the idea of modeling these there's always the second box._

She set it aside and opened the other one getting a confused look on her face when she saw that it only had a note and nothing else. A deep red blush colored her face when she read the note.

_I'll model mine for you if you model this one for me._

_ Happy Birthday_

_ Love Harry_

Tonks leaned in and kissed his cheek "Who knows, if they're really good days you may get the show." And she winked at him.

Ginny had been reading over her shoulder and also blushed after a second that it took for her to understand. She looked at Sirius and Cath.

"That's what you had us doing at her place? Making it so that she didn't have anything else to wear?"

Tonks eyes widened as Harry's smile broadened and the other three adults started laughing.

"You didn't?" Tonks breathed out.

"He did." Said Rebecca.

"I don't understand" said Gabrielle only to have Ginny whisper in her ear until her eyes widened and she blushed. After another second she started to giggle and was soon joined by Ginny.

The healer stepped in at this time. "All right, I have to ask all of you to leave now while I check him and see how he's doing."

His Mum and Tonks both gave his hand a squeeze as they went to the side of the room.

"We'll be right outside." Sirius said as he gave Harry's leg a pat before they left the room to be met by everyone standing looking at them.

Ginny and Gabrielle were at Hermione and Lisa's side almost before Sirius and Cath had cleared the door way.

Sirius spoke "He's awake and the healer is checking him out. He's really weak but is talking a little."

It sounded like a wind came through the hallway as everyone let out the breath they were holding.

Cath nudged him and nodded towards the four girls. He saw Hermione's and Lisa's eyes widen for a moment and then they started giggling with the other two.

"In a few minutes everyone will know what he got her." Sirius said.

Cath smiled "I have a feeling his power over the girls has just risen a bit."

"Brilliant" came from the twins.

"And his reputation among the guys has hit space." Sirius had a huge smile. He saw Molly was listening in on Hermione telling Ron and made his way over to her.

When her expression started to change Sirius interrupted her. "Molly, it's an ongoing joke between the two of them, that's all. We took her under things to her Mums so she still has them. She got Harry a bunch of pink underwear for his birthday and took all of the rest so he could only wear those. Her real present was supposed to be a day out with lunch and a movie with Harry and him cooking her a special dinner."

Molly blinked at him a couple of times before blushing a little as her eyes found her husband "Pink underwear you say."

Sirius laughed "And what Harry calls pink strings, I'll let Tonks know you're interested in them though you might want a color that won't clash with his hair."

Molly blushed deeper before slapping his arm "Oh, you. Go find out if that healer's going to be much longer and if we can go say hi to Harry."

"Yes Ma'am" he said as he and Cath turned back to Harry's room.

"I don't know what's happened in that house but I like the change in her." Sirius said to Catherine under his breath.

She smiled "I think her husbands about to like it more than you."

He paled a little "Maybe I should have Tonks make sure she knows the contraceptive spell, they definitely don't need more children."

"What do you mean? They only have five."

Sirius shook his head "You haven't met the other two and with their luck the next batch would be another set of twins."

Cath said "Oh. Uhm, if she's no good at the spell there's always potions."

When they got to the room they saw the healer leaning in close and Harry's lips moving. The healer straightened up after a moment.

"All right, ten minutes but if I see you move anything but your head I'm putting a stop to it and making them all leave. You'll be back asleep before the first one makes it to the door. Do you understand?" She asked.

Harry smiled his half smile "Yeah, thanks." He said with a hoarse whisper.

"I take it he can have visitors?" Sirius asked.

The healer glared at him. "Everyone at once for ten minutes only and I don't want anyone trying to make him excited or anything. He's not allowed to move anything but his head."

Sirius held up his free hand "I'll let them all know, I promise."

The two of them turned and went out the door only to reappear a couple of minutes later opening the door and holing it as everyone else came in.

When the four girls saw Tonks holding his hand again they started giggling. Tonks glared at Sirius but the twins cut off any comment.

"Brilliant. Our youngest partner, you have to teach us how to buy a girl nothing for her birthday and have her be happy about it." they said together.

Harry looked at Sirius.

"It wasn't me, I kept my mouth shut." He said.

Harry and Tonks both looked at Ginny and Gabrielle who blushed and looked at the floor causing Rebecca to laugh.

After everyone had said hi and they chatted until the healer called a halt to everything and told them all to leave. The girls and women all lined up and gave him a kiss on the cheek as they filed out.

Harry smiled as Cath was last in the line. After giving her kiss she said. "Siri has some news for you before we go."

Sirius took a breath "There were four others who were part of the group that attacked you. All of them have been dealt with and Amelia wanted me to tell the ladies here that some CAA's were used to get one of them and he won't walk right for a very long time."

Harry cringed but both Rebecca and Tonks grinned in a very evil way "Good." They said at the same time.

Sirius looked at Harry "It was just an accident they found you; you weren't the target they were after."

"Are you sure?" Harry asked with his hoarse voice.

"Yeah Harry, we're sure. Their targets were all families of ministry personnel. One of them noticed Ginny's pattern of leaving at the same time everyday and followed her to the clinic. Like I said, it was just an accident they found you so you can forget leaving that job because of it. Ok?"

Harry gave him a small smile "Ok."

"Good. Now can we get you ladies anything before we run everyone off?"

After being told no he told his Godson to get some rest and he and Cath left still holding hands.

"Is there something going on between them that they haven't told me yet?" Harry asked.

"I don't think they even realize it yet." His Mum said with a smile.

The healer cleared her throat. "It's time to go back to sleep." She looked at Rebecca "It's dreamless like you asked for."

Rebecca nodded "Thank you. We'll be here when you wake up honey so just relax and get some rest." She leaned over and gave him another kiss.

Tonks also gave him another before whispering "When you wake up I'll probably be modeling for you." then leaned back with an evil grin "Let's see that dreamless sleep potion stop that dream."

Harry opened his mouth to answer and found a potion vial against his lips and had no choice but to swallow. He looked at the healer with a glare and saw her smile as he started to fade.

"The lady should always have the…" She said as he lost consciousness.

XXXXXXXX

It was three days later when Harry was being helped by his Mum with getting dressed so he could leave the hospital. He had two new scars that were an angry looking red color that ran from the right side of his stomach upwards to just below they scar he had received from the horntail on his left shoulder.

He was still having trouble with moving so his Mum had brought a button down shirt so he wouldn't have to try to raise his hands above his head. When they got it on him he sat back down on the bed to button it up and Rebecca looked at him for a moment before speaking.

"Harry can I ask you how you see Lisa?"

He looked up at her "She's become a pretty good friend, why?"

"Just wondering, how about Ginny and Gabrielle?"

He smiled "Those two are starting to act like the twins." He sighed as the smile left his face "I know Ginny doesn't see it the same way but I think of her as a sister and I'm starting to see Gabrielle the same way."

His Mum nodded like she had expected that answer "And what about Hermione?"

Harry stared at her for a second before answering "I wish we still had the same friendship we used to but she's still a really good friend. Uhm, can I ask why were talking about all the girls I know?"

She gave him a small smile "I was just wondering. How do you see Tonks?"

He blushed a little causing her to nod "I thought so. Can I ask if you plan to ask her out?"

His jaw dropped "She's…I couldn't…What?"

"I was wondering if you were going to ask her out on a date. A real one, not the day outings the two of you go on, but a proper date."

"She wouldn't want to go on a real date with me. She's an adult and I'm just a kid. I think she sees me as her little brother." He said while looking at his feet.

His Mum sat next to him on the bed and took his hand "But you'd like it if she was your girlfriend?"

He nodded slowly "Yeah, but there's no chance of that. She'd get into a lot of trouble if she went out with me and I don't want that. She could get any guy she wanted and wouldn't want to go out with a teenager."

She sighed "I can't believe I'm actually going to encourage this. Harry, she can use her abilities when you're out in public to look the same age as you so she won't attract unwanted attention."

She took a breath "I think you should ask her to be your girlfriend, I know she'll say yes but won't ask you first because of the age difference."

He sat there with his jaw resting in his lap unable to say anything.

Rebecca smiled "You two would make a good couple. I'm telling you now though that if I find out you two are having sex I'll welt both of your backsides so bad you won't be able to sit for a month. I might be willing to overlook the fact that you're a teen and she's an adult for dating but I haven't completely lost my sanity."

Harry got a small smile "Do you really think she'd go out with me?"

Her smile grew a little "Yeah, she'll go out with you. I think you should think up something special for when you ask her though. Any thoughts?"

Harry blushed a little and nodded.

"Good, let's talk about it when we get you home."


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I still think this is just word padding.

A/N: Sorry it's been so long but some real life has reared its ugly head. It's a short one and I'm afraid that updates will be spotty for a few weeks.

Chapter 23

Harry and Rebecca went to the apparition point at St. Mungo's and she side along apparated him to the alley near the clinic.

"What are we doing here Mum?" Harry asked as he winced slightly from the pressure of apparition.

A voice behind them answered "We decided that you might want to breathe some fresh air before going home."

He smiled and didn't even look back "Hi Tonks."

She came up to the opposite side of him as Rebecca and took his arm while looking at his Mum.

"Shall we?"

Rebecca grinned and nodded as they started walking at a slow pace forcing Harry to come along.

After only a few feet Harry said "Uhm, we're going to the café?"

"Yes honey, Conner wants to let you know how long you have off." His Mum told him.

Harry just gave a mental shrug and started to enjoy just walking outside after three days of being cooped up in the hospital.

When they got to the café Tonks opened the door and let him in to a deafening cheer and clapping.

He looked around at the packed café. He recognized the regulars and several of the clinic's staff through out the crowd along Cath and Sirius. Hanging from the ceiling in the center of the room was a banner that read 'Welcome Back Biscuit Boy the Vultures.'

Harry blushed as a small smile came to his face. He held up a hand about shoulder height for a moment until it quieted down.

"Thank you all, but no biscuits today you Vultures." The crowd laughed as Harry was escorted by his Mum and Tonks to a table in the center of the room where there was tea already waiting.

Once he was seated Rebecca leaned in and whispered "Sorry about this but Conner said the Vultures insisted and would mob our home if you didn't show up."

He took her hand and whispered back "Its fine Mum. It's actually kind of nice for a change."

Madam Bones had told him the story they had given out to everyone who was in the café that day and Harry was happy to note that it wasn't just the magical community that could make a simple story into something for the legends.

He was laughing at all of the different variations of the story. His favorite was that he had stood his ground even after being cut and calmed the two who had been fighting with a plate of biscuits and a cup of tea.

Harry also found out that most of them just wanted to make sure he was still amongst the living. He was surprised when several of them had referred to him as 'one of our own' when talking about the incident and him getting well again.

After everyone had eaten lunch compliments of the O'Connell's, Amanda announced that since Harry was still recovering it was time for him to go home.

It took another half hour for him to get through all the well wishes and kisses from the waitresses, female clinic staff and Lady Vultures and actually make it out the door with his Mum, Tonks, Cath and Sirius.

"The car's around the corner." Cath said.

Rebecca smiled "Thanks."

It was only a short drive but Harry was grateful for it.

Once they were in the house and he was seated Tonks sat in front of him with a pensive expression.

"I know you're happy right now Harry and I really hate to tell you this but I don't want to keep it from you either. The Dursley's came back today and all three of them were arrested before they even got their car unpacked."

Harry looked at her for a moment "Really?"

The pink haired Auror nodded.

"Brilliant. When's the trial?"

Sirius groaned and pulled a pound note from his pocket and handed it to Rebecca who was grinning from ear to ear.

"Told you he'd be happy about it no matter how she presented it." She leaned over the back of the couch and kissed the top of Harry's head.

"Thanks son."

"Uhm, no problem. What'd I do?"

Tonks smiled "Sirius thought you'd get mad or upset about them being back at all."

Harry smiled "As long as they're in jail they could have come back anytime. So do we know when the trial is?"

"Not yet, they have more procedures for trials in the muggle world than in the magical." Tonks answered.

"Do I have to do anything for this?"

His Mum answered "No, I gave them enough evidence to convict your uncle and aunt and from what the constable told us they already have plenty on your cousin to finish him off until he's eighteen at least. They try to keep minors from having to face abusive relatives again."

He nodded "How about Malfoy? Have they been able to question him yet?"

"He was finally off enough of the potions that they could use veritaserum on him last night. There really weren't any others involve." Tonks said then added.

"He's the one who decided that you should be the main target. He seems to really hate you for some reason."

Harry snorted "I didn't shake his uppity hand our first year. He's hated me ever since. What's he likely to get?"

Tonks shook her head "It's hard to tell. Normally he'd get twenty or so years for attempted murder, but with both his arms having been cut off he may get a lighter sentence."

Sirius asked "Will he be able to use magic again?"

Rebecca answered "No, he's not powerful enough to do wand less magic. From what Ams said there are only four or five underage witches and wizards who could become that powerful when their magic is mature. They'll probably bind his magic so he isn't able to do accidental magic."

Tonks looked at Harry "His trial is in two days. Would you like to go?"

Harry thought about it for a minute "I don't think so. I would rather just never see him again."

Tonks smiled "Good, I don't need you re-injuring yourself while yelling at the Wizengamot. You need to recover so we can have our days together."

XXXXXXXX

Gerald Fenton was tired. He had often thought about what life would be like as the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. Thanks to the Minister asking him to take the position for the Potter trial and the Dumbledore trial he found himself elected to the position and was finding it was nothing like he thought.

First there was all of the parchment work. He had no idea that just preparing for a trial would require that many rolls of parchment, or how many more were caused by the trial itself and sentencing.

Then there was the fact that all of a sudden there seemed to be nothing but trials. Since Potter's trial they had held Dumble's followed by several Death Eaters and now they had this latest bunch.

He had asked if they could try them all together so they could just be done with it. He had a vacation planned with his wife to celebrate his election and the fact he was the first non pureblood to reach this level in the government. Being a half blood he had resigned himself to having his career peak five years ago with no chance he would ever be promoted in the pureblood run ministry again no matter how much he had tried to spout their pureblood nonsense.

Madam Bones had assured him that trying them together would drag everything out longer. 'Never have that many lawyers in a courtroom at the same time unless their on your side.' She had told him.

He had to admit that she was right and the trials had gone quickly. That is until this one.

Gerald had thought that windbag attorney who represented Dumbledore could talk a lot without saying anything, but this idiot Malfoy had brought put him to shame. It had already been three days of motions and posturing and the newest Chief Warlock was tired of it.

He had made up his mind before leaving home this morning to put an end to this first thing and get on with the conviction and sentencing. Everyone in the chamber knew it would end in guilty and that the lawyer was just trying to get the sentence lowered.

He arrived and entered the courtroom with determination. He was the Chief Warlock and this was going to be the day that lawyers learned that meant he was running this show.

That's when he spotted forty goblin warriors surrounding an impeccably robed goblin and a young lady who had a mail shirt on and a sword strapped to her back. This had to be the girl who had caused so many scars on the latest defendants and removed the arms of Draco Malfoy.

Gerald Fenton's plans for forcing this to be a quiet and short day were looking a lot less likely and he was wondering just how he was going to explain to his wife that they wouldn't be leaving in the morning for the Caribbean and a week in the sun and surf.

Stiffening his spine he started the day's proceedings and then spoke to Malfoy's attorney.

"Mr. Gristly, we will not be having anymore meaningless motions from you today. This trial will be finished and our decision reached before noon or I will put the defendant into a cell in Azkaban to await the rescheduling of this trial. I'm sorry to inform you that with the varied other jobs of the members of this august body of witches and wizards it may take a few years to be able to find a date that will work for all of us.

"I trust that your client wants to be done with this as much as we do so I suggest that you let us finish so that everyone can get on with their lives."

Gristly stood there for a moment wondering where this pompous ass got off trying to threaten him.

"Your honor, I assure you that none of the motions I have made have been frivolous. All of them have been in the interest of defending my innocent client. Since you obviously have a bias I move that…"

"SILENCE! I have had enough of this. Your client confessed under veritaserum with you present. There can be no other verdict than guilty leaving the only real decision to be made his sentence. I am considering sentencing you to whatever he receives just for wasting so much of this courts time and attempting to make my ears bleed with this bullshit.

"Now you will sit down and let us make our decision unless there's an objection from the body."

He looked around and saw many smiling faces in the gathered Wizengamot. He knew that many of these people had been threatened and bribed over the years by the elder Malfoy, but that was over now because of his death. Many of them were finding that convicting murderers and attempted murderers harshly was a way to increase their popularity so this should be an easy decision for them.

Even when they had sat in session to consider new laws they had found that without the threats and bribes the debate over them could be spirited but that when it was over no matter what the outcome they could all hold their heads up in public while telling everyone how they voted and why.

This was a new and proud Wizengamot and they seemed to be enjoying it.

"Are there any objections to moving on with the verdict?" No one raised their hands.

"All those in favor of guilty" everyone raised a hand.

"All those in favor of innocent" no hands were raised.

Gerald banged his gavel "Draco Malfoy you have been found guilty of the attempted murder of Harry James Potter and numerous muggles. We will now consider motions for sentencing."

Gerald Fenton's world slowly started to look bleaker when the impeccably dressed goblin stood. Goblins speaking in the Wizengamot in the past were usually the beginnings of another war with them. He finally recognized just who this goblin was.

"Director Ragnok is recognized."

"Thank you Chief Warlock. I know that goblins have no place in trying to influence the sentencing of witches and wizards and I agree with that. However this case involves a wizard honored among the Goblin Nation who was intentionally taken by superior numbers while he was known to be unarmed.

"We have several accounts that tell us that Honored Warrior Harry of Clan Potter attempted to take the fight away from innocents in an attempt to make his life the only one in danger. These actions speak highly of his honor. Many warriors among our Nation have sought a peaceful life after many battles and this is the case with Harry of Clan Potter.

"To attack a warrior who has given up the sword to pursue an inner peace is considered to be of the greatest dishonors amongst our race."

He looked around the courtroom "I know that it is not customary to have a minor female of your race speak in consideration of the sentencing. I ask this court to allow it at this time for an honored member of the Goblin Nation and warrior in training. I ask that you allow Honored Warrior Ginevra of Clan Weasley to speak."

Ragnok retook his seat as murmuring broke out among the assembled.

Gerald cleared his throat "Is there any discussion on the motion to have Ginevra Weasley speak at this time?"

Minister Fudge stood and was recognized.

"Members of the Wizengamot, we find ourselves at a crossroads in history. These past few months we have seen many examples of how the old ways of doing business are not going to work anymore.

"I know the story of young Ginny Weasley from speaking with several goblin warriors and her family. We have before us the future of the wizarding world.

"She is a pureblood who is justly proud of her heritage yet still embraces the ways of not only half bloods and muggleborns but also of the Goblin Nation. It is an example of how our young will change our world.

"The question is will it change it for the better or for the worse. I believe that anything that brings us closer to understanding each other will also bring us closer to assured peace and I can't think of anything I want more for our children.

"I say that we start now and embrace this future. I say that we start now and help to assure this future so that they can live in peace without the worry of future Dark Lords. I say we hear what she has to say."

The minister sat down happy to see the members speaking quietly amongst themselves. He had thought that it would be a fools attempt when Madam Bones had approached him with this idea. But as he had listened to her arguments he found that it had all the elements to get their attention and sway them.

It had peace and children. If you ever wanted something to pass the Wizengamot all you needed to do was convince them that it was for the safety of the children and it would pass.

After a moment Fenton again cleared his throat "Thank you for your words Minister. Is there any further discussion?"

He waited for a minute with no one standing "All those in favor of Ginevra Weasley speaking"

Everyone raised their hands.

"All those opposed"

Again no hands were raised.

"Ginevra Weasley is recognized."

Ginny stood "I apologize that I'm not as well spoken as this body deserves. As you have heard I was there when the attack took place and I am the one who removed Malfoy's arms. I wish to say only one thing concerning this trial.

She looked to the gallery around her and about fifty teenagers stood up.

"We the future generations will not tolerate bigoted asses in society trying to kill people just because they think it's their birthright. We will deal with them harshly so that our future children can learn that acceptance is the only way to peace."

"We are the future of the wizarding world. We are pureblood, half blood and muggleborn and we say that this is the last time we allow this. Consider in your sentencing that Malfoy has been spouting his crap for his whole life. He will never give up thinking he should rule over others who he feels are beneath him.

"Those don't just include Half bloods and muggleborns but also a lot of purebloods. You all know how his father felt about it. The Malfoy's should rule everyone is how Draco was brought up and he has embraced that way of thinking."

She looked around "If he is released after anything less than twenty years we will take action to make sure he can't attempt this again. We will make sure he can't spout his bigoted bullshit anymore.

"I ask this court to make sure we don't have to do that. I ask that he be sentenced appropriately for his crimes and receive nothing less than twenty years because I would rather not have to take his leg too. Thank you for your time."

She sat and was followed by all of the other teens.

Gerald Fenton recognized some of the teens who stood in the gallery; some of their parents were on the Wizengamot and sitting in judgment of this trial. Longbottom, Greengrass and Bones being of the oldest lines while Abbott and the Patel's were newer pureblood lines.

He didn't recognize others and figured that they would be the half bloods and muggleborns of the group. With these children assembled together and proclaiming that they would take matters into their own hands if necessary, especially those purebloods, they had almost assured twenty years.

"I thank you Miss Weasley for your words, and thank you Director Ragnok not only for your words but also for your presence at these proceedings. I am hopeful that your presence here and with Miss Weasley representing both of our cultures we can begin to build on the future for both our children."

Director Ragnok stood and bowed to him "That is our hope also, thank you."

Fenton bowed his head then spoke again "Are there any other motions for sentencing?"

Daniel Greengrass stood "I believe we already have our guidelines for sentencing. I move that he receive no less than twenty years and no more than thirty in Azkaban."

"We have a motion for no less than twenty and no more than thirty years in Azkaban. Mr. Malfoy, do you have anything to say before we pass sentence?"

He looked at his attorney "You said I wouldn't even do a year. What the hell is going on, you're supposed to get me out of this."

"Silence! If you have nothing to say that concerns your sentencing we will continue." Fenton said.

"All those in favor."

Every hand once again rose.

"All those opposed."

No hands went up.

"Draco Malfoy you are herby sentenced to no less than twenty and no more than thirty years in Azkaban."

He struck his gavel. "Aurors please escort Mr. Malfoy to his new home."

As he watched Draco Malfoy being taken from the room he smiled. His wife was going to be happy for the next week and a happy wife means a happy Gerry.

A/N: Yes they call him Potter on purpose to try to hide his new name.


End file.
